Research shows little benefit from phonics instruction in Grades 2 through 12. However, more recent studies show that students who fall below a decoding threshold fail to benefit from other kinds of reading instruction. This exploration of the evidence suggests that these students are likely to need support in the reading and spelling of…

In secondary English classrooms, poetry is often a text that is least liked because it is viewed as being "inaccessible," reserved for the elite, and/or too abstract. Part of the reason for this also lies in the traditional, colonial structures of introducing poetry such as relying on canonical texts and close reading analysis. Yet,…

Language and culture hold power and significant connections to students' identities. However, these connections are often minimized, especially for students from diverse racial-ethnic, cultural, and linguistic backgrounds who are neither white nor monolingual speakers of English. In literacy instruction, we often see complete disregard and…

The middle and high school years represent a unique challenge for students who have not yet attained proficiency with word reading. By this time, it is generally expected that students will be able to independently read a variety of texts to gain content knowledge and to read for understanding. Students with or at-risk for learning disabilities…

Survey research is regularly undertaken across the fields that comprise literacy education and provide historical perspectives of topics of interest at the time. The field of college reading and study skills pedagogy and research has a rich history of surveys being undertaken since the Great Depression. This article focuses on the major and…

Preparing literacy teachers for culturally relevant teaching is increasingly critical amidst growing student diversity and pandemic-associated learning needs. However, despite the prevalence of existing reporting on culturally relevant literacy teaching, there remains a disconnect between the theoretical conception and realized implementation of…

This study explores the integration of multiple sign systems within the English as a Foreign Language (EFL) reading curriculum for undergraduates in Taiwan, addressing varied learning styles that are often overlooked by conventional curricular methods. The purpose is to investigate how incorporating semiotics can enhance learning engagement and…

This study examined the effect of a supplemental, multicomponent reading intervention with 75 seventh graders who scored below grade level according to a battery of assessments. Students received a yearlong reading intervention during the 2021-2022 or 2022-2023 school year. Students' pretest and posttest data were compared to determine the impact…

Automaticity in recognizing the words in a text is fundamental to comprehension. If the number of words readers need to stop and decode exceeds their ability to retain their understanding of a narrative's plot or an expository text's description, their comprehension suffers. The conventional intervention for students who lack the automaticity to…

Many adolescent readers experience difficulties comprehending informational text, which may result from underlying difficulties with foundational skills (e.g., word recognition and fluency), knowledge demands (e.g., background, text structure, and vocabulary), and/or reading motivation. Supplemental interventions for adolescents targeting only…

While adolescent foundational skills interventions can be critical levers for reading improvement, district leaders, teachers, and researchers must make complex decisions about how to evaluate their effectiveness in context. In this discussion article, we explore three issues and tensions we experienced during a 2-year research-practice…