THIS EXTENSIVE REPORT DESCRIBES THE CONTINUATION OF A PROJECT WHICH INVESTIGATED THE READING PROGRESS OF DISADVANTAGED URBAN NEGRO CHILDREN FROM FIRST THROUGH THIRD GRADE USING TWO BASIC TEACHING APPROACHES. THE PROJECT OPERATED IN TWELVE NEW YORK CITY PUBLIC ELEMENTARY SCHOOLS. SPECIFICALLY DESCRIBED ARE THE SECOND-GRADE CONTINUATION PROCEDURES, THE THIRD-GRADE FOLLOWUP STUDY, AND A SMALLER SCALE REPLICATION STUDY IN THE FIRST AND SECOND GRADES. THE EXPERIMENTAL TEACHING TECHNIQUES WERE (1) THE SKILLS-CENTERED APPROACH, WHICH INCLUDED A BASAL READER METHOD AND A PHONOVISUAL METHOD, AND (2) THE LANGUAGE-EXPERIENCE APPROACH IN WHICH READING MATERIALS WERE DEVELOPED FROM THE EXPERIENCES AND VERBALIZATIONS OF THE CHILDREN. THE SECOND APPROACH WAS SUPPLEMENTED BY AN AUDIOVISUAL METHOD. IN THE REPLICATION STUDY, AN ADDITIONAL "PILOT" METHOD WAS USED WHICH COMBINED FEATURES OF ALL THE METHODS. RELATED VARIABLES SUCH AS SEX DIFFERENCES, KINDERGARTEN EFFECTS, EFFECT OF EARLY READING, AND TEACHER CHARACTERISTICS WERE ALSO STUDIED. APPENDIXES CONTAIN SOME MEASUREMENT INSTRUMENTS AND EXTENSIVE STATISTICAL TABLES. (LB)