Founded in 2012, One Book 4 Colorado (OB4CO) is a statewide annual initiative that offers free copies of the same book to every 4-year-old in Colorado. In 2016, the book was "Giraffes Can't Dance" by Giles Andreae. More than 75,000 books were given away at more than 500 sites, including Denver Preschool Program preschools and both public…

Since 1999, the Read to the Children (RTC) program has allowed offenders in Colorado's state prisons to send young family members a book accompanied by a recording of the offender reading it. RTC is a collaboration between the Colorado State Library and the Colorado Department of Corrections. In the past year, around 1,900 offenders and 3,200…

This article focuses on teachers' perceptions of the implementation and impact in Portuguese schools of a wide-ranging and long-term reading promotion programme. The Portuguese National Reading Plan (PNRP) was a public policy initiative whose purpose was to increase literacy levels and reading habits among the population. The Plan identified…

Houston Real Men Read is chaired by Texas Senator Rodney Ellis and spearheaded by the Houston Independent School District (HISD) Board Trustee Paula M. Harris. Houston Real Men Read is a mentoring program in which men from the Houston community committed one hour, once a month, to read to second, fifth, and seventh-grade students. The program…

Houston Real Men Read, chaired by Texas District XIII Senator Rodney Ellis and spearheaded by Houston Independent School District (HISD) IV Board Trustee Paula M. Harris, is a mentoring program in which men from the Houston community committed one hour of their time, once a month, to read to second, fifth, and seventh-grade students. The reading…

This report summarizes the findings from a nineteen-month study of The Big Read, an initiative of the National Endowment for the Arts, in partnership with the Institute of Museum and Library Services and Arts Midwest, designed to restore reading to the center of American culture. Piloted in early 2006 and launched nationwide later that year, The…

Students, who are at risk of academic failure, are reading and achieving below their grade level yet the No Child Left Behind (NCLB) Act requires that all students perform on or above grade level. Results from the 2003 National Assessment of Education Program (NAEP) showed that 37% of fourth graders across the United States are reading below grade…

Many educators and researchers have proposed reforms for dealing with the ongoing adolescent literacy crisis. Progress in strengthening young people's literacy now depends on schools a) choosing appropriate programs and b) implementing them consistently and effectively. Yet the history of school reform is littered with reforms that were adopted…

This report shares the findings from a nineteen-month study of The Big Read, an initiative of the National Endowment for the Arts, in partnership with the Institute of Museum and Library Services and Arts Midwest, designed to restore reading to the center of American culture. Piloted in early 2006 and launched nationwide later that year, The Big…

This evaluation report is designed to meet two major objectives: a) to determine the extent of and the factors associated with variations in success and failure among children enrolled in the Distar Follow-Through programs, and b) to determine variations in success and failure in selected measures as they occur between children enrolled in the…

Elementary school principals who have excellent reading programs believe that they should help teachers plan inservice activities in reading, participate with their teachers in those activities, give support to teachers in the reading program, know what comprises an excellent reading program, and establish close communication with parents. (FL)

To obtain perceptions of student growth in reading, this evaluation report assessed the first-year implementation of a seventh grade reading pilot program at Bell, Correia, Standley, and Wilson schools in the San Diego Unified School District. The pilot program addressed the reading needs of seventh grade students achieving two or more years below…

Included in this report are the questions that were asked of math and reading teachers, generalists, aides, and principals during the course of the evaluation, general observations made by the evaluator, and a discussion of observations and recommendations made by both the Title I staff and the evaluator. Each discussion focuses on the respective…

Observations were conducted in 29 elementary schools in which reading instruction had been found to be effective, as well as in classes from less effective schools, in order to determine the characteristics which were associated with effective and ineffective compensatory reading programs. The schools' membership in a cluster (partially effective,…