Improving reading instruction is one of the hottest topics in K-12 education today. It is also one of the most complex, encompassing pedagogy, policy, and politics -- all rooted in a long history of arguments about the best way to teach kids to read. This analysis is a primer on the "Science of Reading" and efforts to implement it across…

Considers "what didn't work" in literature-based reading programs. Analyzes messages to teachers in teachers' guides for such programs published between 1990 and 1995. Follows M. Foucault's interpretations of historical, social, and cultural constructions of discourses. Finds the literature-based visions become blurred as the mixed…

Some children learn to read easily with phonics, and some do better with a whole-language approach. Principals should understand both systems and use the best of both, together with other effective reading programs. Teachers should balance their reading programs by providing structure for analytic students, reading to students, and relying on…

Describes a study of the availability of books in low-income schools with literature-based curriculums. Focuses on two scenarios or snapshots of elementary schools in the study. Discusses seven recommendations for creating a supportive literacy environment. (TB)

Offers a point-by-point comparison of the whole language approach and the Accelerated Reader program. Offers classroom stories of how Accelerated Reader affects students. Notes that students are taught that reading is an isolated and competitive activity, and that reading means correctly answering questions generated by a computer and earning…

Principals can successfully implement whole language reading programs if they educate staff and parents; engage in effective, inclusive long-range planning; encourage sharing among teachers; incorporate flexibility and experimentation in program development; and create an appropriate program evaluation system. Staff involvement is the key to…

This paper reviews the literature and research on literature-based reading programs (as an alternative to basal reading instruction) that have proven successful and identifies key elements of such programs. The first part of the paper contains an introduction, a statement of the problem, the significance of the problem, a description of the…

Examines the first-grade materials in five new basal programs submitted for the 1993 Texas state adoption, comparing them with program materials currently in use in the state. Finds substantial changes in the more recent series. Interprets findings in terms of historical trends as well as recent developments in the literature-based and…

A pilot tutor training project, the Student-Tutor Orientation (STO), was designed to meet the need for making whole-language concepts of reading and writing instruction accessible to tutors as well as students through hands-on experience and for establishing a collaborative tutoring relationship in which students share in decision making.…

Describes the implementation and evaluation of an early intervention program, Reading Recovery, designed to help young, at-risk children become writers. Research evaluation results in New Zealand and in the United States and a case study of a five-year-old child are presented. (BB)