New brain research reveals that synapses, the connections between neurons, are twice as plentiful at 24 months as in adulthood. Reading to babies helps "wire in" those synapses so that babies get an early intellectual boost. This article discusses early reading for babies as it promotes early literacy. Sharing picture books is a wonderful way to…

The effective classroom reading instruction and early reading interventions is routinely misrepresented and exaggerated by the federal officials. Individual tutoring that produces on-level reading achievement is presented based on the misinterpretations of the research.

In the current climate of accountability and research-based practices in reading instruction, professional development is often identified as one of the key elements needed to change the trajectory of progress for struggling readers and to ensure their ongoing success. Research on teacher quality and its impact on student achievement seems to…

This article comments on the discussion of S. A. Storch and G. J. Whitehurst's literacy development model in the article by the National Institute of Child Health and Human Development (NICHD) Early Child Care Research Network (ECCRN). Specifically, this comment focuses on concerns raised by the NICHD ECCRN that Storch and Whitehurst's model does…

This article reviews the Early Reading Diagnostic Assessment second edition (ERDA-2). The Early Reading Diagnostic Assessment, second edition (ERDA-2; The Psychological Corporation, 2003) assesses the acquisition of reading skills in children from kindergarten to Grade 3. The ERDA-2 is a collection of subtests adapted primarily from the Wechsler…

This report chronicles the record of the Reading First program as a research-based approach to teaching children to read, from early successes as a strict program whose funding would be distributed to states and districts using reading curricula whose effectiveness had been validated by scientific study, to one of eased eligibility that permitted…

This study utilized early reading assessment data from a randomized trial of 210 urban and rural schools in Texas to examine contextual effects on risk prediction in first and second grade. The primary objective was to examine the roles of (a) individual differences, (b) the grade 1 classroom, and (c) the pairing of first and second grade teachers…

The purpose of this article was to illuminate for early childhood teacher practitioners how guided reading, as a research-based approach to reading instruction, could address the challenges of early reading instruction. The early years are the focus for the prevention of reading difficulties and research conducted over the past two decades has…

This paper presents results of Year 2 of an Early Reading First project in a low-income, primarily African American community. Goals of Early Reading First include preparing at-risk preschoolers for school success. This project provided professional development, classroom coaching, books, and materials in support of a literacy-focused preschool…

This study investigated the effects of a supplemental early reading intervention program on the phonemic awareness and alphabetic principle skills of students identified as at risk for reading failure. Seven kindergarten students and one first-grade student received 20 min of supplemental reading instruction 3 days a week for 16, 12, and 8 weeks.…

Problems which will fact reading teachers in the future are discussed, and innovative possibilities are described. The following conclusions are reached. Varying environments create greater differences in children than existed previously, making individualized instruction necessary. Technological progress has opened new fields to education which…

A disproportionate emphasis on mechanics impairs students' reading by detracting from the focus they should have on making sense of the world. (DD)

By observing children who learn to read by themselves, teachers may learn some important aspects of beginning reading. (JM)

Takes issue with articles appearing in "Reading Teacher" entitled "Portrait of My Son as an Early Reader." Argues that parents who teach their children to read at an early age may neglect or overlook other essentials of their physical, emotional, and social growth. (FL)

Early reading looked at from the perspectives of people with whom a school administrator works: parents, staff, researchers. Cites studies which document importance of parents as teachers. Believes staff should recognize importance of involving parents in early childhood education programs.