This article describes new digital reading products that are designed to improve aptitude, fulfill Common Core State Standards, provide unlimited access to online libraries, and bring 21st-century learning into the classroom. With a coming wave of the new products, school districts have various options to help bring 21st-century learning into the…

As extensive reading becomes more commonplace in the EFL/ESL classroom, there is a rise in the number of instructors and administrators who are looking for cost-effective and space-saving methods to carry out extensive reading activities. Two extensive reading systems to respond to such concerns were developed with the support of a Grant-in-Aid…

How does one build connections with students who do not feel they are part of the school community? Penn-Trafford High School in Harrison City, Pennsylvania, always seemed to have a number of students who felt no connection to the school or their classmates. They skipped class or didn't participate when they did attend. They were prime candidates…

This article presents a list of this year's best practices from America's classrooms. This list was compiled by the staff of the Tech&Learning magazine. These best practices include: (1) video programs produced by the Horry County in Myrtle Beach, South Carolina; (2) a gaming design course introduced at Phoebus High School, Hampton City Schools,…

Excerpted from the second chapter of the International Reading Association's "Computer Applications in Reading" (2nd ed.), this article presents an overview of computer-assisted reading programs developed on college campuses during the 1970s. (AEA)

Accelerated Reader (AR) is a computerized reading reward program by Renaissance Learning Inc. (RLI) that offers schools management software with computer quizzes of books identified by reading level (RL) and assigned points in order for children to read books, take quizzes, and earn points. Schools or teachers decide whether to offer prizes in…

Describes the use of Accelerated Reader, a computer program that instantly provides scored tests on a variety of books read by high school ESL (English as a Second Language) students as free voluntary reading. Topics include reading improvement programs, including writing assignments; and changes in students' reading habits. (LRW)

"Harvard Education Letter" is published bimonthly at the Harvard Graduate School of Education. This issue of "Harvard Education Letter" contains the following articles: (1) Testing Goes to Preschool: Will State and Federal Testing Programs Advance the Goal of School Readiness for All Children? (Robert Rothman); (2)…