COVID-19-related school closures worldwide had an enormous impact on literacy instruction and learning. In this article, we share an overview of what research tells us about what happened to elementary learners' reading comprehension during these school closures and what reading comprehension instruction looked like in homes and schools during…

The COVID-19 pandemic has dramatically affected U.S. schools since March 2020. K-12 schools have put in place various forms of remote learning to continue the education of students. In trying times like these, young students face unique unprecedented challenges. Often, they need parents' and/or guardians' supervision and guidance at home. How can…

Amid the COVID-19 pandemic, students, families, and educators have faced unprecedented challenges. These challenges have disproportionately impacted racially/ethnically diverse, low-income communities because of long-standing health system, socioeconomic, and educational inequities. With closures of schools, libraries, and childcare centers, many…

While existing research documents the effectiveness of summer reading programs, little is know about how and to what degree children actually read the books that are sent home or how families engage with these texts. We took this opportunity to dive in and explore what happened when books were sent home to low-income, culturally diverse families.…

In this article, we document the literacy practices of Genna Johar and her extended family. Genna, a grade 1 student, is a member of a Indo-Canadian joint family in which her parents, grandparents, aunts, uncles, and cousins, share a household. Family members including siblings and cousins play important roles in supporting Genna's literacy…

Most children seem to love computers, and there has been much speculation and research about how educators might harness this interest to facilitate literacy learning. A growing body of research indicates that electronic talking books (ETBs) can help children learn to read and encourage them to read, so we decided to investigate what would happen…

Describes a Missouri-based program, Parents as Teachers (PAT), in which professionals work with parents to develop literacy activities in the home. Discusses a new adaptation of the original PAT program, its observed effects, and implications for schools. (MG)