Two studies compared the inclusion only, pull-out only, and combined services models for elementary students with mild disabilities, using a survey of 80 teachers and comparison of reading improvement in 240 students in the 3 models. Teacher satisfaction and student progress in reading were significantly greater for the combined services model.…

Considers interrelationships among school climate, teacher empowerment, and school effectiveness, based on measures of mathematics and reading achievement in 86 New Jersey middle schools. Results show that teacher empowerment is pivotal to school effectiveness. A theoretical model explains linkages between organizational characteristics and…

Nine adults with Prader-Willi syndrome (PWS) and nine age- and IQ-matched adults with PWS completed standardized tests of long-term and short-term memory, visual and auditory processing, and reading and mathematics achievement. Contrary to previous findings, long-term memory in PWS subjects was strong relative to IQ and there was no evidence that…

Measures Year 6 children from the United Kingdom for self esteem (Lawseq questionnaire) and attainment in mathematics (Mathematics 11) and reading (Primary Reading Test Level 2). Examines gender differences in attainment. Discusses the findings in relation to the debate concerning the low performance of boys. (CMK)

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…

Offers a typology of emergent literacy skills, reviews research relating emergent literacy to reading, and reviews evidence linking emergent literacy environments and development of emergent literacy skills. Proposes that emergent literacy consists of inside-out skills and outside-in skills that are influential at different times during reading…

A mediation model was used to test effects of poverty on the mathematics and reading achievement of young adolescents. A revised model indicated that poverty was associated with mathematics and reading achievement indirectly. Associations depended upon level of cognitively stimulating home environments, emotionally supportive home environments,…

Examines the effect of peers on elementary grade reading and mathematics scores. Finds, for example, that third-grade girls score higher on reading tests in all-female classes, that boys and girls score higher in mathematics in classes with larger percentages of females, and that Hispanic students score higher in mathematics and reading when class…

In this article, ten reasons are identified as to why discrepancy scores (based on differences between IQ and reading achievement scores) provide an inadequate means for identifying children with reading disabilities. It is recommended instead that children be identified simply on the basis of problems in reading skills, regardless of their IQs.…

Discusses validity issues associated with three popular content-general reading college placement tests and then presents a theoretical argument to support an alternative placement procedure using content-specific testing. Proposes that content-specific tests would have improved content-related and construct-related validity. States that more…

Reports on the National Assessment of Educational Progress (NAEP) 2000 Reading Assessment of fourth graders, presenting results for the nation, comparisons with the results of previous assessments, results for subgroups of students, and results when testing accommodations are permitted for special-needs students. (Author)

Examines the reading achievement, metacognitive knowledge related to reading and memory, reading self-concept, and interest in reading of 140 third- and fourth-grade students in Germany. Reveals differences between the third- and fourth-grade students related to teacher evaluation of their achievement, word decoding skills, and metacognitive…

In this article, Marilyn Chapman provides educators and others interested in early literacy with important information about phonemic awareness to help them make decisions about what to do in their schools. She begins with an explanation of phonemic awareness and how it relates to other aspects of literacy development such as phonological…

The objective of this investigation was to examine how instructional practices in 107 first- and second-grade classrooms in 17 high poverty schools moderate the impact on literacy outcomes of literacy-related skills students bring to the classroom. Ratings of teaching effectiveness and time allocation to literacy activities were obtained. Twenty…

Students in the United States do not read well enough (Showers, Joyce, Scanlon, & Schnaubelt, 1998). While the National Assessment of Educational Progress (2003) reports an encouraging upswing in 8th-grade students' reading performance from 1992 to 2003, this fact does not stem the tide of practical concerns voiced by teachers and community…