Early literacy is a key developmental milestone for succeeding in school, yet far too many children in America, particularly the most socially vulnerable, are not meeting this key milestone. For example, NAEP data from 2013 shows that over 80% of Black and Latinx students are below proficient in reading by the end of fourth grade, as compared to…

The purpose of this mixed methods study was to determine the effects of a tutorial program on first-grade children's reading skills and their tutors' (also preservice teachers) knowledge of reading instruction. Participants consisted of a group of 30 first-grade children served in the program and a control group of 30 children. Literacy…

Given that many schools have limited resources and a high proportion of students who present with deficits in early literacy skills, supports aimed at preventing reading failure must be simple and efficient and generate meaningful changes in student learning. We used a randomized group design with a wait-list control to extend the work of Volpe,…

This randomized-control trial examined the learning of preservice teachers taking an initial Early Literacy course in an early childhood education program and of the kindergarten or first grade students they tutored in their field experience. Preservice teachers were randomly assigned to one of two tutoring programs: Book Buddies and Tutor…

African American male students in elementary schools are scoring approximately 30% lower than their peers in reading and content areas. There are many factors causing the discrepancy; indeed, the complexity of the problem has inhibited a clear solution. The purpose of this qualitative case study was to examine factors associated with low…

This study evaluated the relative effects of Tier II computer-assisted tutoring in small groups (Team Alphie) and one-to-one tutoring provided to struggling readers in 33 high-poverty Success for All (SFA) schools. In this year-long study, struggling readers in the Team Alphie schools were tutored in groups of 6. In the control schools, students…

Book Buddies is a community volunteer tutorial that began in Charlottesville, Virginia in the early 1990s as a cooperative effort between the University of Virginia, the Charlottesville City Schools and the Charlottesville community. A replication of Book Buddies was designed in fall of 1997 for two elementary schools in Millville, Virginia. A…

Providing one-to-one tutoring, five days per week, 30 minutes a day, by specially trained teachers, Reading Recovery is an early intervention program designed to assist children in first grade who are having difficulty learning to read and write. A program overview gives background information on different facets of the program. Illustrating the…

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)

The purpose of this study was to determine the effect of the Macmillan Tutorial System when used as a supplement to regular classroom instruction in beginning reading. The experimental subjects were first grade children who ranked in the lower third of the distribution scores on the Macmillan Reading Readiness Test or who, in the opinion of their…

Reviews 16 studies of 5 1-to-one tutoring models (Reading Recovery, Success for All, Prevention of Learning Disabilities, the Wallach Tutoring Program, and Programmed Tutorial Reading) used with at-risk first graders. Finds (1) substantial positive effects of tutoring; (2) effects of tutoring are generally lasting; and (3) results were more…

Describes the Reading Buddies program in which high school students tutor first graders at risk of failure in reading while receiving training provided by university professors. (SR)

From 1971 through 1973, a federally-supported project, Project Upswing, tried to help children with minimal learning difficulties to function better and more independently in school. Upswing was conducted by a volunteer staff from the local university schools of education and the public school system. Half of the children were tutored and half…

Project Upswing is a pilot study sponsored by the Bureau of Educational Personnel Development, U.S. Office of Education, designed to determine whether first grade children with minimal learning difficulties can be aided by volunteer tutors. A major goal is to determine whether children receiving this personalized assistance make more progress than…