The purpose of this study was to gain insight into how elementary school leaders work collaboratively to foster Science of Reading instructional strategies to enhance early literacy. A multiple case study design was implemented whereby six elementary schools in the metro Birmingham area were purposely selected based on their documented increases…

Students in the 3rd and 4th grade often encounter what has been called a reading "slump" when their class curriculums increasingly ask them to comprehend and learn from texts. Students are more likely to struggle if they have not been offered sufficient opportunities to build world and domain knowledge and engage in challenging…

As Texas schools become increasingly diverse, educators are presented with opportunities to build on students' linguistic strengths and engage in transformative literacy teaching. Culturally sustaining early literacy instruction provides an avenue for teachers to support multilingual learners by leveraging their linguistic and cultural experiences…

This meta-analysis synthesizes 49 standardized mean-change differences between control and treatment groups as effect sizes from 28 independent studies, investigating the efficacy of existing reading interventions on literacy skills for Chinese children. Six potentially important moderators were considered in this study. These moderators included…

The action-research study explores a district leader's experience implementing district-wide individualized learning plans (ILPs) and individualized instruction to enhance student outcomes in reading. The study utilizes collective leadership practices by collaborating with reading interventionists throughout. In addition, this study provides an…

Decades of research offer important understandings about the nature of comprehension and its development. Drawing on both classic and contemporary research, in this article, we identify some key understandings about reading comprehension processes and instruction, including these: Comprehension instruction should begin early, teaching word-reading…

Teachers who are successful at teaching both the skill and the love of reading provide a foundation for lifetime reading. All too often, building motivation for reading is neglected in reading instruction and classrooms. Nine teachers were trained in seven motivational principles and then invited to make an implementation plan using as many of the…

Many students struggle to acquire adequate reading comprehension and writing skills. Although word recognition and spelling are needed to fully actualize these skills, the oral language aspects of reading and writing can be taught and practiced without text. Oral storytelling is good for all students, but it may be essential for students with…

More than 800,000 students with autism spectrum disorder (ASD) are served in U.S. public schools, a number that has increased annually for almost 20 years since Individuals with Disabilities Education Act (IDEA) included ASD as an eligibility category. These students often experience widespread and persistent reading comprehension challenges. A…

In this article, I (a) overview the ebbs and flows of two beginning reading approaches (code-emphasis and balanced instruction) used in U.S. schools from 1950 to the present; (b) compare and contrast the two instructional approaches; and (c) suggest some simple assessment procedures that can be used to measure student learning. In closing, I…

Students have the right to learn to read as part of their free, appropriate, public education. Yet current assessment data reveal that a substantial number of students in American public-schools are not able to read at a proficient level. If we desire improved student outcomes in reading, we must work for improved instruction in foundational…

Early literacy skills such as print knowledge are essential building blocks for children's later reading and academic outcomes. Shared book reading activities in early childhood classrooms offer rich opportunities through which educators can support children's print knowledge development by explicitly referring to a book's print. Such references…

The problem explored by this study was that teachers' perspectives are not implemented when selecting and utilizing phonics instruction in kindergarten through second grade classrooms. The purpose of this qualitative case study was to explore primary teachers' rationales and experiences when choosing and implementing phonics instruction in primary…

Teaching reading to children from minoritized communities in ways that are both effective and meaningful is demanding and complex work. It requires educators to integrate their knowledge of (a) the various skills involved in reading, (b) assisting children to learn to read, and (c) the everyday sociocultural practices and identities of young…

Strategy instruction is a common instructional method for teaching academic skills, particularly reading comprehension, and it is commonly combined with self-regulation components (e.g., goal setting, self-monitoring). Previous meta-analyses and reviews have examined the effectiveness of strategy instruction on reading comprehension, but have not…