Compiles data from 27 studies comprising the Cooperative Research Program in First-Grade Reading Instruction. Reveals ability to recognize letters of the alphabet prior to beginning reading instruction was the best predictor of first-grade reading achievement. Indicates various nonbasal programs tended to be superior as measured by word…

The purpose of "What Works in Reading?" was to identify the factors that contribute most strongly to achievement growth in reading. The study, which investigated fourth graders in 25 schools, was run jointly by the Philadelphia School District and the Federal Reserve Bank of Philadelphia, and the respect and understanding that developed…