Helping students to become active and engaged learners at an early age is key to their success throughout their school years not only to raise test scores but to raise student achievement in a more meaningful way. If school staff work together, making maximum use of the knowledge base about teaching and learning, they will help students become…

Reading and writing development of 54 children from grade one through four was studied. Poor first-grade readers almost invariably were poor readers at completion of grade four. Poor readers tended to become poor writers. Early writing skill did not predict later ability as well as did early reading ability. (SLD)

Growth of reading vocabulary from first through fourth grade was determined for 288 elementary school students (initial sample 756) from urban and rural disadvantaged schools and a suburban mainstream school. Results show great vocabulary increases and suggest some reasons and remedies for the gap between mainstream and disadvantaged schools. (SLD)

Describes reforms at a Bronx intermediate school which registered large gains in students' comprehension performance. The success depended on active, engaged learning, intensive assistance for low achievers, personal development of students, coordination of instruction, availability of instructional support personnel, outstanding leadership, and…

Describes a program at an Illinois middle school that was designed to increase reading achievement, vocabulary, and the enjoyment of reading. Highlights include the library's role; use of the Standardized Test for Assessment of Reading; the Accelerated Reader program; teacher training; teacher comments; and grant funds. Four appendices include:…

This kit is intended to provide parents of children with learning disabilities, particularly reading disorders, with appropriate information, tools, and references. The kit includes eight strategy-based booklets featuring steps to success, parent-child activities, frequently asked questions, and resources. The eight booklet titles are: (1)…

An action research project implemented a program for improving the reading skills of at-risk middle school students. The targeted population consisted of fifth- and seventh-grade students in a rural, middle class community located in northeastern Illinois. Evidence for the problem includes teacher observation, checklists, standardized tests, and…

This study, using data from the National Study of Student Learning, examined whether participation in a collegiate work-study program was related to cognitive educational benefits. Data were collected from 2,485 entering students at 23 institutions nationwide in the fall of 1992 with follow-up in the spring of 1993, of whom 494 (19.9 percent)…

This annual serial volume contains 22 articles offering practical pedagogical ideas from faculty at New Hampshire technical colleges. Section I, "Learners Conversing," includes "'Cheering': A Prelude to a Street Dweller," by Thomas Gorka; "Illusions of Fear: Unleashing My Writing," by Bruce Maville; and "Claremont's Writing Workshop," a transcript…

This study sought to locate excellent readers and excellent reading courses among majors and courses chosen by college freshmen at three postsecondary institutions: a private, residential, suburban, four-year liberal arts college with religious affiliation; a two-year public (commuter) community college outside the same metropolitan area; and an…

A study examined the results and effectiveness of a pilot Reading Recovery program in New Hampshire. Fifteen New Hampshire school districts, including 29 different schools, participated in the first year of the program (school year 1990-91). A total of 223 first-grade children identified as being at risk of reading failure were served. Of these,…

A study examined the results and effectiveness of the third year of the Reading Recovery program in New Hampshire. With the 50 Reading Recovery teachers from previous classes, 32 teachers in the new class, and 3 teacher leaders, a total of 85 teachers taught Reading Recovery during the 1992-93 school year. A total of 422 first-grade children…

This curriculum guide offers suggestions for reading improvement for grades K-12. Following an introduction and statement of philosophy, a section on the theoretical and research basis of the program outlines recommendations from the National Academy of Education's Commission on Education and Public Policy's "Becoming a Nation of…

Reading journals can help college readers successfully meet the demands of complex and sophisticated texts when students use them as a strategy for making meaning rather than simply extracting information. There are three primary reasons for using reading journals at the college level: (1) writing is a way of discovering when students are free to…

Children are faced with an increased potential for academic failure due to less stable family lives and career-oriented parents. Cross-cultural reading instruction practices and programs can provide insights that could prevent such failure for children at-risk. One such program is the reading maintenance program used in Denmark, wherein groups of…