Reading ability is profoundly important, for individuals and for the societies of which they are a part. Research indicates that we should be successfully teaching 95% of children to read, yet, in reality, high rates of reading failure are common in western, industrialized nations. In large part, this reflects a failure to translate into practice…

The policies underlying the specific learning disability (SLD) regulations in the 2004 reauthorization of the Individuals with Disabilities Education Act (IDEA) are analyzed. The analysis focuses on the Response-to-Intervention (RTI) provision ("if the child responds to scientific, research-based intervention") as a diagnostic model,…

Points out that current alarmist rhetoric about widespread reading failure is not based on facts. (HOD)

Argues that dropout prevention programs which promote reading success while keeping students on grade level must begin early and be staffed by teachers who believe they can make a difference and who foster positive self-concepts in their students. (MG)

This report contends that limited vocabulary knowledge is the principal cause of reading dysfunction for a large percentage of students whose progress in learning to read appears normal during the first two or three years of reading instruction, but who begin to fall behind starting somewhere between grades 3 and 7. The report addresses the…

Outlines the problems of students with dyslexia and the history of the recognition of the problem. Includes a detailed list of symptoms that may indicate dyslexia is a problem for a student. (MD)

This manual presents a method of teaching cooking to nonreaders. The language of the method consists of visual symbols, such as drawings of bowls, spoons, and ingredients, and color. The "Simply Great" method consists of three basic formats: the one-step booklet, the full-page format, and the simply written for the student with some…

Relates individual student experiences to illustrate that many poor readers are dropouts of programs requiring strongly analytic/auditory reading styles. Recommends adopting the "whole-language" approach for today's global learners. Uses research findings to outline instructional methods that match students' reading styles. (CJH)

Of all human maladies which account for learning disabilities among young and old alike, few remain as poorly understood and inconclusively defined as dyslexia. The general public perceives dyslexia to be a reading problem; some psychologists believe that dyslexia can stem from a low socio-economic status; educators see the term as involving…

Reports results of two national literacy and numeracy testing programs in Australia revealing that there is a sizable fringe group of people unable to function effectively because they cannot meet minimal demands of reading skills. (JL)

Provides a humorous look at remedial reading strategies by proposing a method of upside-down reading for remedial reading teachers to use with poor readers. (MG)

Explores what is meant by reading, noting that to read is to respond appropriately to a specific consensus centered on certain values and that the consensus is achieved among persons whose paths through life have come together with members of dominant discourses in society. (SLD)

The disadvantaged reader, characterized by feelings of dependency and failure, can be helped by relevant, interesting, youth-oriented materials. (Author)

Learning to read is a qualitatively different process from learning to compute, in that each student must discover his own ways of finding meanings. (JH)

Despite large gains in reading proficiency by minorities over the past decade, Hispanic and Black children's reading levels remain significantly lower than Whites. This article examines the effects of parent educational level and family reading behaviors on minority and nonminority children. (Author/LHW)