A reading practices survey of 138 Arizona secondary learning disabled teachers was conducted. Among results were that 65 percent of special educators indicated access to reading specialist/instructed programs; the Individualized Reading Approach was the method used most; and the special educator was the professional mainly responsible for reading…

Offers strategies that reading specialists can use to promote changes in school reading programs and in content area teachers' attitudes toward reading instruction. (FL)

Three support staff members--specialists in library/media, curriculum, and reading--of Rochester (NY) School for the Deaf describe their individual functions and interrelationships. Among topics touched on are the organization of instructional resources by the Learning Resource Center, staff training, and the need for a well-defined reading…

By means of educational and psychological tests, 10 reading specialists thought aloud about a simulated case of reading and spelling disability in fourth-grade boy. Protocols were transcribed and scored. Despite choosing from common information sources, experts differed substantially in diagnoses and recommendations. Found no indications for…

Describes how reading specialists could function as collaborative consultants, spending the preponderance of their time working with other adults to meet the needs of students. Discusses curriculum development, instructional problem solving, assessment, and parent liaison. (SR)

Suggests ways to develop strong middle-school reading programs involving efforts of states, school districts, and individual schools. Provides cost estimates. (PKP)

This unique resource provides a comprehensive review of current knowledge about phonological awareness, together with practical guidance for helping preschoolers to adolescents acquire needed skills. Up-to-date findings are synthesized on the development of phonological awareness; its role in literacy learning; and how it can be enhanced in…

A study compared the evaluations of junior and senior preservice teachers, supervising teachers, and reading specialists who observed a student's performance using the Directed Reading Thinking Activity (DRTA). Four groups of subjects participated in the study. The first group consisted of 12 elementary education juniors who had just completed a…

What reading consultants do varies considerably from person to person as there is variability in the role each reading consultant perceives as his or her responsibility. To assist reading consultants in prioritizing their roles to meet their constituents' needs, 113 elementary teachers enrolled in graduate reading classes at the University of…

This guide presents a staff development program on content area reading that high school reading specialists can conduct for teachers of content areas such as history, chemistry, and literature. Section one of the guide offers specific reasons why professional growth is necessary for teachers, why reading education ought to be part of that…

A TOTAL READING PROGRAM WHICH MEETS THE NEEDS OF ALL CHILDREN IN GRADES K-12 SHOULD BE BASED ON SOUND PHILOSOPHY AND RESEARCH. CHILDREN SHOULD BE TAUGHT TO READ AT A LEVEL AT WHICH THEY CAN FUNCTION SUCCESSFULLY. TO ACCOMPLISH THIS, ADEQUATE MATERIALS AND EQUIPMENT MUST BE PROVIDED TO MAINTAIN INDIVIDUAL RECORDS, AND PARENTS MUST BE CONSIDERED…

The position taken here is that much greater stress needs to be put upon improving instruction through improving the amount and nature of the staff and the time resources available to the classroom teacher. The proposed minimum supportive-services staffing for a model educational unit would include six special services leaders (coordinators); six…

The purpose of this study was to assess the extent of the relationship between test data of problem readers diagnosed in a reading center and the kinds of recommendations made by a reading specialist at the center in the areas of phonics and comprehension. A second dimension was to assess the agreement of the diagnoses in the areas of phonics and…

This guide was prepared to assist the reading specialist or coordinator in the secondary school. The general objectives and rationale of the secondary reading program are given, along with the International Reading Association minimum standards for professional training of reading specialists. The overall structure of the reading program as an…

Administrative reading personnel need a special program of course work and field experience to prepare them for their roles. Besides the basic developmental and remedial reading courses, the specialist trainee should also take courses in curriculum theory, statistical analysis and research design, dynamics of instructional groups, administrator…