As teachers, administrators, and members of intervention teams use student performance data to inform instructional decisions and monitor implementation of tiered instruction in a Response to Intervention (RTI) model, assuring fidelity of implementation or treatment integrity continues to be a challenge. This article describes how one school…

Discusses how issues involved in establishing the type of master teacher evaluation system called for in Tennessee's Comprehensive Education Reform Act apply to reading specialists: arbitrary selection of measures and criteria for assessing teacher effectiveness; utilization of alternative approaches including self-, student, and observer…

Hiring qualified reading professionals is a complex process involving a variety of considerations. The "Standards of Reading Professionals (revised in 1994 by the Professional Standards and Ethics Committee of the International Reading Association) provides a framework for the knowledge base reading educators should possess. However, other…

Central in the discussion of school improvement is the belief, supported by research, that almost all students can learn to read and that much reading failure is preventable. For almost all students to become literate, even those who are challenging to teach, educators must apply their best understanding of effective professional development, such…

Designed for use by elementary school principals, this guide contains suggestions for (1) assessing the effectiveness of the school reading program, (2) determining the instructional needs of teachers and the reading skill needs of students, and (3) implementing specific strategies to effectively accomplish desired reading program improvements.…

A study was conducted to determine the current trends in reading materials and methods used to teach first grade students to read in the Northern Valley Region of Bergen County, New Jersey. Twenty-one first grade teachers responded to a survey which consisted of open-ended questions asking about goals and incentives, multiple choice questions on…

Reading programs in elementary and secondary schools are often ineffective because principals have not had adequate preparation to assume leadership roles in such programs and are therefore unable--or unwilling--to take control of the reading program. Successful reading programs are characterized by leadership, direction, and support from…

This report provides administrators and supervisors of reading programs with information to help them evaluate and select commercially developed reading materials. Part 1 opens with a description of the problems researchers studying the adoption of basal reading programs have observed and then offers suggestions (based on both research and…

Noting that the proliferation of computers in the schools requires teachers to know the best ways to use them, this book shows how the computer can be used in a reading and language arts curriculum as tool, tutor, and tutee with currently available software. Chapter one defines the reading process in terms of its relationship to background…

Because independent reading builds the foundation for long-term literacy, administrators must encourage teachers to create a positive attitude toward independent reading in school. Five guidelines can help influence teachers' attitudes toward independent reading: (1) share valuable information concerning independent reading, including current…