A group of elementary school reading teachers used their time in a Professional Learning Community to develop a systematic intervention to address the needs of struggling readers in grades 3 to 5. Working as a team, they identified a collection of books that was culturally diverse, high interest, appealing to boys and girls, aligned with…

This study addressed the effects of multiyear, response-based, tiered intervention for struggling readers in grades 6-8. A sample of 768 sixth-grade students with reading difficulties was randomized to a response-based, tiered-intervention condition or "business as usual," and initial treatment status was maintained over the three-year…

It has been argued that children with dyslexia (DC) are poor at learning a foreign language (L2) and, in particular, reading foreign words. This assumption is so general that an Italian law (law 170, October, 2010) has established that DC may be completely exempted from foreign language learning and, in any case, should not be engaged in tuition…

Two studies from English-speaking samples investigated the methodologically difficult question of whether the later reading achievement of children learning to read earlier or later differs. Children (n = 287) from predominantly state-funded schools were selected and they differed in whether the reading instruction age (RIA) was either five or…

Principal leadership studies have indicated that leadership can play an important role in augmenting students' achievement scores. One significant influence that can affect achievement scores is the leadership style of the principal. This study focuses on fourth-grade achievement scores within urban elementary schools and explores the relationship…

This project was an alternative capstone dissertation conducted by a team of three doctoral students. The project focused on systematic and long-term underachievement of the English Language Learner (ELL) population of a single school, Sunshine Elementary, using the gap analysis model (Clark and Estes, 2008). More specifically, the purpose of the…

Professional learning communities (PLCs) have become one of the most talked about ideas in education today. Many K-12 schools are working to become PLCs in the hope that student learning will improve when adults commit themselves to talking collaboratively about teaching and learning and then take action that will improve student learning and…

We report the results of an alternate form reliability and criterion validity study of kindergarten and grade 1 (N = 84-199) reading measures from the easyCBM© assessment system and Stanford Early School Achievement Test/Stanford Achievement Test, 10th edition (SESAT/SAT-­10) across 5 time points. The alternate form reliabilities ranged from…

Increased attention on teacher accountability via student achievement gains has brought proposed policy changes which recommend teachers receive performance pay as recognition for effective teaching. In response to growing consensus that teachers' contributions to student learning should be a part of the teacher evaluation process, education…

The study reviewed in this report examined the impact of a summer literacy program on kindergarten and first-grade students who were at moderate risk for reading difficulties in one Pacific Northwest school district. The study took place through a limited expansion of an existing summer program for high-risk students that was modified to include…

The purpose of this study was to investigate the impact of the Read 180 program as a Response to Intervention reading strategy tool for middle school students. This study explored the effect of the RtI-designed technology-based reading program on seventh and eighth-grade students labeled as at-risk for reading failure. Data was analyzed using the…

It is said repeatedly, boys can't read. However, the statement should be boys "can" read they just don't. Understanding there is a need for action is the first step educators must take in helping boys emerge as confident and successful readers. Single-gender classrooms can be successful tools when seeking new ways in which to engage boys…

The "Read Naturally"[R] program is a supplemental reading program that aims to improve reading fluency, accuracy, and comprehension of elementary and middle school students using a combination of texts, audio CDs, and computer software. The program uses one of four products that share a common fluency-building strategy: "Read…

The primary purpose of the Minnesota Migrant Education Program (MEP) is to help migrant children and youth overcome challenges of mobility, frequent absences, late enrollment into school, social isolation, and other difficulties associated with a migratory life, in order that they might succeed in school. Furthermore, the Minnesota MEP must give…

Causal inference in observational studies typically requires making comparisons between groups that are dissimilar. For instance, researchers investigating the role of a prolonged duration of breastfeeding on child outcomes may be forced to make comparisons between women with substantially different characteristics on average. In the extreme there…