This paper provides an overview of Houghton Mifflin's Invitations to Literacy, a commercially published, integrated reading/language arts program for use in K-6 classrooms. The program provides instructional resources that seek to: build on the foundation that students bring to school and foster home-school cooperation; hold all students to the…

Reports an evaluation of the effectiveness of a volunteer tutor reading intervention. Indicates that children receiving the volunteer intervention failed to make greater progress than same-school controls. Considers possible reasons for the apparent intervention failure. Concludes by cautioning against simplistic expectations that adult support…

This paper provides an overview of Houghton Mifflin's Soar to Success, a commercially published intervention program designed to accelerate reading growth for students reading below grade level in grade 3 and above. Soar to Success uses fast-paced, structured lessons focusing on comprehension and decoding strategies, is intended for use with small…

This paper provides an overview of Helping One Student To Succeed (HOSTS), a language arts program that uses one-on-one mentoring to help low-achieving students improve reading and problem-solving skills. Goals of the program include improving academic achievement in reading; building student problem-solving skills; and improving student behavior,…

This paper provides an overview of SuccessMaker, a computer-based reading program that uses literature-based activities to focus on comprehension, vocabulary, phonics, and writing. Intended for use with students in prekindergarten through grade 8, the curriculum challenges students to apply knowledge from literature, content-area reading and…

This paper provides an overview of the Voyager Expanded Learning programs. Initially begun with hands-on, activity-based learning experiences centered around academic themes designed to pique children's interest and motivate them to learn, Voyager has expanded from elementary after- and summer-school programs to include K-8 programs designed for…

This paper provides an overview of the Exemplary Center for Reading Instruction (ECRI), a research-based instructional program designed to improve students' ability to read, understand, and communicate in English. The program focuses on pre- and inservice professional development for teachers who are trained in a highly structured,…

This paper provides an overview of Literacy Collaborative, a comprehensive, schoolwide program designed to provide long-term support to schools working toward successful literacy achievement for every child by the end of 2nd grade. There are currently (year 2000) 390 literacy coordinators or trainers serving 372 schools in 25 states. The…

This paper provides an overview of Success For All (SFA), a reading program for children in prekindergarten through sixth grade. The program emphasizes prevention and early intervention, rather than remediation, to help children realize their potential from the start. Program components include: one-on-one tutoring, assessments conducted every 8…

This paper provides an overview of Fast ForWord, a CD-ROM and Internet-based training program for children (pre-K to grade 8) with language and reading problems that helps children rapidly build oral language comprehension and other critical skills necessary for learning to read or becoming a better reader. With the help of computers, speech…

This paper provides an overview of the Four Blocks framework, a teaching framework developed by professional educators, that aims to teach all children to read by providing daily exposure to a variety of instructional approaches. Four Blocks is intended for use in regular, heterogeneously constructed K-3 classrooms. It supports individual learning…

This paper provides an overview of the Cooperative Integrated Reading and Composition (CIRC) program, a comprehensive approach to reading and writing instruction for grades K-8, as well as its Spanish adaptation, Bilingual Cooperative Integrated Reading and Composition (BCIRC). The program's goal is to improve student achievement in reading,…

This paper provides an overview of the Carbo Reading Styles Program (RSP), a comprehensive reading program that applies learning styles concepts to reading. The program uses themes, activities, and literature to help improve student performance across all subject areas. Main components of RSP include: a variety of instructional strategies to…

This paper provides an overview of Direct Instruction, an intensive instructional method for grades K-6 based on the theory that learning can be greatly accelerated if instructional presentations are clear, rule out likely misinterpretations and facilitate generalizations. Over 50 instructional programs have been developed based on this…

This paper provides an overview of Reading Recovery, a preventative one-on-one tutoring program that targets first-grade students whose reading skills place them in the lowest 10-20% at their school. First implemented in the United States in 1986, by 1995-96, the program was being used by over 9,000 schools in 2,940 districts. Key components of…