Tutoring--defined here as one-on-one or small-group instructional programming by teachers, paraprofessionals, volunteers, or parents--is one of the most versatile and potentially transformative educational tools in use today. Within the past decade, dozens of preK-12 tutoring experiments have been conducted, varying widely in their approach,…

This article reports on evaluation studies of the Virtual Tutee System (VTS) designed to enhance students' engagement in academic reading. The VTS is a web-based peer-tutoring environment in which students teach a virtual tutee about the content in course readings that students have been assigned to learn. With the VTS, students interact with…

All public schools in the United States have been caught up in educational reform. This has especially been true since the 1980's. The No Child Left Behind Act of 2001 was a major component in how schools have changed the process of educating students. In response to reform efforts, many schools have relied on their own knowledge to achieve higher…

Evaluation data is presented to document the effectiveness of the Traub Tutorial Program with learning disabled students. The method uses a diagnostic approach with sequential learning tasks and stresses the development of ability as well as actual achievement in the basic skills of reading, spelling, and handwriting. (CL)

The America Reads Project is a program that trains San Francisco State University (SFSU) undergraduates to serve as tutors in local elementary schools. This paper focuses on the findings from the 3rd year of the project (1999-2000). For the 3rd year, 55 undergraduates were trained in a 3-unit course. Eleven elementary schools participated in…

Although over 15 years have passed since Witt (1990) noted that no empirical evidence exists to support the contention that a collaborative approach to consultation leads to more positive outcomes than a hierarchical or expert driven approach, this issue generally remains unaddressed (Schulte & Osborne, 2003). While the literature documenting…

Considering 61 reading tutoring programs established in response to the "America Reads Challenge," this publication encourages all Americans to collaborate with classroom teachers and parents so that every child can read well and independently by the third grade. It discusses ways to build effective partnerships among the community, and…

Discusses the selection and training of student tutors for college reading programs, the supervision of tutors, and studies of the effectiveness of college-level peer tutoring programs. (GT)

Notes that the Title I Program at the Upper Darby School District (located on the western boarder of Philadelphia, Pennsylvania) created the T.O.A.S.T. (Title One After School Tutorial) program from the need for extended learning time and opportunities to assist struggling young readers. Concludes that students increased their sight word…

The success of the Paired Reading (PR) technique is examined, and a study involving 43 pairs of Hong Kong students (ages 10-11) in a PR project is reported. It is concluded that the projects' success may not lie in the technique itself but in improving tutees' motivation, confidence, and self-esteem as readers. (JDD)

Seven peer tutoring interventions involving 14 elementary grade children with special needs were conducted to improve reading accuracy, fluency, comprehension, and vocabulary. Interventions were conducted in four settings. Results showed that children's academic responding was greater during peer tutoring than during routine classroom instruction.…

Within the context of an ongoing classwide peer tutoring system for sight words, a training program was conducted to teach first-grade peer tutors to provide verbal praise for correct responses on an intermittent schedule. After training, the four observed tutors successfully delivered praise on the desired schedule. (Author/JDD)

Presents a project to develop emergent literacy awareness and increase success with reading and writing through the America Reads program. Suggests the value of early experience and interaction with print in children's reading and writing development. Finds that approaches in which systematic code instruction is included alongside meaning…

The study investigated three models--the traditional classroom reading instructional model, a one to one tutorial model, and a reading resource center model--for providing reading instruction to 110 disadvantaged inner city children in junior high school educable mentally retarded (EMR) classes. The effectiveness of programmed instructional…

Shows how a structured tutoring program helped increase both student and tutor reading scores. (JT)