Recent initiatives in the United States and United Kingdom have added greatly to the amount and quality of research on the effectiveness of secondary reading programs, especially programs for struggling readers. In this review of the experimental research on secondary reading programs, the authors focused on 69 studies that used random assignment…

An analysis of large and influential published reviews of research pertaining to the reading acquisition of young struggling readers in the early years of schooling was undertaken. The reviews were selected on the basis that they either had been commissioned by federal governments or had been conducted by reputable research institutions and had…

In education, it is possible to find dozens of examples of "forced" reading incentive programs that categorize student reading levels, provide limited reading lists coordinated with those reading levels, assess student reading through computer-based tests, and award tangible prizes when they pass the test. Those who perform best get the most…

Charter school administrators weathered start-up woes, among them challenging students with unmet needs, verbal assaults, dwindling student enrollment, and a first-year budget deficit exceeding $200,000 to implement a reading improvement strategy that holds promise for helping at-risk students read better, a point particularly underscored…

This study compared the instructional effectiveness and efficiency of three word-reading interventions on cumulative number of words read accurately and cumulative learning rate. Participants were six first graders who needed intensive intervention services. Alternating treatment designs were used to compare the effects of interspersal drill, a…

Concludes that when its guidelines are met, sustained silent reading seems to unite selected positive aspects of both direct and open instruction models into an effective activity. (FL)

The purpose of this study was to determine if a parent workshop on reading strategies would increase students' use of reading strategies and improve both parent's and child's attitudes toward reading at home. Fourteen parents from an affluent suburban first grade attended. The parents represented students from below average to above average…

Reviews research on metacomprehension, indicating that awareness and control of cognitive activity are key characteristics of successful independent readers. Presents findings from a study of 25 university students taught to use a text-marking system. Reports that the system led to more sophisticated levels of metacognitive awareness. Sample text…

This article describes a strategic approach for reading and comprehending scientific information from a middle school science textbook. First, the word-reading skills of children with and without reading difficulties are compared. Second, studies investigating the effectiveness of a syllable-based reading approach on the word-reading skills of…

Concludes that subjects in a clinic setting developed a variety of reading and writing strategies to enable them to succeed during their time at the clinic and that helped them maintain their processing--in spite of questionable teaching practices. (FL)

A project designed and implemented a framework of conceptually oriented reading instruction to foster students' amount and breadth of reading, intrinsic motivations for reading, and strategies of search and comprehension. The framework emphasizes five phases of reading instruction in a content domain: observing and personalizing, searching and…

A study was conducted to investigate reading comprehension and educationally related variables--such as years of education, aptitude score, high school graduation status, and quarter of entry into the service--that describe United States Navy recruits. Data were obtained from computer managed instruction (CMI) reports issued quarterly, on…

A study evaluated the effectiveness of the first two years of the Reading Recovery program at the McAllen Independent School District, Texas. Thirteen campuses participated in the first year (1991-92) while 16 campuses participated in 1993. In addition, the Literacy Program, designed to expand the positive effects of Reading Recovery strategies in…

Describes in detail a procedure that teaches childen to integrate two word identification strategies--use of contexts and phonics. Reports on a study showing the effectiveness of the strategy. (FL)

This compilation presents material relating to the ReCaRe (Reading and Content-area Resource) program, a one-semester elective course for secondary school students of all ability levels designed to develop their reading comprehension, vocabulary, rate of reading, and study skills. The first part of the compilation is a 48-page booklet entitled…