This article describes an approach to designing culturally responsive literacy centers. Aligned with Gholdy Muhammad's (2020) Historically Responsive Literacy model, we reimagine literacy centers as responsive to children from historically marginalized backgrounds. We present a five-question tool that teachers can use as they plan for literacy…

Family partnerships should be a central component of teacher preparation. Although research provides family engagement strategies, little research offers teacher educators guidance from the perspectives of families themselves. The purpose of this convergent mixed-method study was to begin to fill the void in the literature by investigating family…

Drawing inspiration from two foundational publications that put forth "Ten Recommendations" for supporting students' reading and learning, this manuscript provides an updated list of ten recommendations tailored for professionals in learning assistance centers. Given the ever-changing landscape of developmental education and academic…

This case study investigates how teachers supported below-level readers who made reading comprehension gains in a virtual reading clinic during the COVID-19 pandemic. Data sources included case reports, lesson plans with reflections, and recorded instructional sessions for 10 participants--5 teachers and 5 students. All student participants were…

Literacy centers have existed in the United States since the 1920s and have seen many changes over their vast and essential history. Initially, clinics focused on remediation with a deficit view that positioned struggling readers as lazy and unmotivated. Over time, clinics shifted to a medical model, which also held a deficit view that involved…

This convergent parallel mixed-methods pilot study explored the collaboration of preservice teachers (PSTs) in a university reading clinic. PSTs from a reading course and special education course were paired and shared responsibility for tutoring one child. Tutor surveys and focus group interview transcripts were used as data sources. Topics…

While most international educational development projects are engaged in capacity development, trainings rarely have enough depth to result in lasting changes in the capacity of local stakeholders. The case of the Nigeria Centre for Reading, Research and Development (NCRRD) at Bayero University Kano used a different model. Six NCRRD faculty spent…

Researchers have demonstrated that tutoring is an effective instructional model that relies upon the relationships among the tutor, the tutee, and the curriculum and not merely instructional skills or strategies. In our microethnographic case study, we investigated interactional patterns of two tutors who were pre-service literacy teachers working…

Despite evidence that youths' literacy practices and identities are important contributors to literacy learning, studies of secondary literacy instruction often focus on understanding classroom storylines from the perspectives of teachers and schools. The purpose of this case study was to examine how one youth, Leo, shaped the storyline of his…

Teacher educators simultaneously support and develop pre-service and in-service teachers. Using a situated approach, this qualitative study explored the coaching styles of graduate students who served as coaches to pre-service teachers tutoring in a university reading clinic. The study analyzed written reflections and faculty member observations.…

Mentoring for early career teachers is well-documented. Less research exists on formal mentoring for pre-service teachers, but early attrition rates are so alarming that we cannot afford to lose any time in preparing novices for the challenges they will face. This research explored mentoring support provided to pre-service, or novice, teachers in…

This study uses activity theory to examine collaboration between graduate students (in-service teachers) serving as literacy coaches and undergraduate students (pre-service teachers) functioning as tutors in a university reading clinic. The participants tutored students in grades first through sixth for seven weeks. The purpose of the study was to…

In second-language reading (L2), the amount of opportunity to practice the second language is vital to reading proficiency. Also, research informs us that pupils' performance in reading is enhanced to a great extent by the amount of reading they do out of school. The amount of reading pupils engage in outside of school also tends to positively…

This qualitative study explores preservice teachers' experiences in a service-learning literacy tutoring program offered at a university with children in grades one through eight. This study examines briefly the history of literacy centers and service-learning, the specific instructional tutoring methods employed by preservice teachers connected…

This study investigated the efficacy of the Fluency Development Lesson (FDL) in improving reading achievement in primary grade struggling readers. 30 readers, enrolled in a summer reading clinic, participated in daily 40-min mini-reading lessons across 5 weeks. During the fluency lessons, readers practiced and developed their literacy skills…