Building on prior teacher workshops, online courses were developed to support classroom implementation of Ohio's English language arts standards by providing models of exemplary classroom practices and creating an online teacher community for sharing experiences and ideas. Although participants in the first course were primarily older teachers…

A study investigated the multiyear effects of evidence-based literacy practices and a program to prevent early reading failure in one elementary school. Results indicate teachers did implement new evidence-based practices, use of these practices resulted in increases in silent reading, and growth in reading fluency was substantial overall.…

Rural education scholars may be biased advocates of small schools or they may accept the values of the scientific community. An analysis of a rural Pennsylvania district's failure to receive Reading First funding did not provide enough information to determine why the proposal was rejected. The article's arguments about "privatization"…

This article discusses how four direct observational principles have contributed to the development of assessment and tutoring strategies for individuals in English and Maori language reading tutoring programs. The assessment strategies generated from observations of reader and tutor interaction have provided strong support for learning to read in…

Examines reading, writing, and mathematics for older primary children within the Montessori setting. Emphasizes normalization and engaging links with the prepared environment, focusing on how discovery moments in reading and contexts for learning around culture create natural conditions for learning. Asserts that the guided discovery approach…

In response to Salish and Kootenai tribal demands for educational equity, a Montana school district chose a reform model based on cooperative learning strategies, which fits American Indian learning styles, and switched from tolerating to celebrating American Indian culture. Academic achievement has risen in all subjects, and the achievement gap…

Three case studies in southern California explore the effects of parental involvement on a child's reading achievement through the parent's influence over reading group placement. Two Hispanic first-graders improved substantially when their parents took actions explicitly related to reading group placement; a third remained in a low reading group.…

Discusses subvocalization and other ways in which people read silently. Comments on authorial voice and offers ways to experiment with creative reading aloud. Notes how the proliferation of advertising, the media "explosion," and the influence of modernism in literature has changed the fundamental sense of what reading is and how to do…

The study of curriculum-based measurement (CBM), involving 57 adults in a basic literacy program, found that narrative rather than expository passages exhibited higher reliability. Level of difficulty did not affect reliability. Validity data showed inconsistency between CBM and standardized test scores. The measures were sensitive to student…

Offers several suggestions for activities to be used with Big Books, including: tracking print, thinking along, cloze activities, and examining text features. (MG)

Gives a history of the whole language movement. Looks at the early use of the term "whole language." Explores influences from philosophy, psychology, linguistics, and education on development of whole language. Discusses influences from early educational movements in the U.S., England, and New Zealand. (Author/BB)

Discussion of personalized instruction focuses on reading education and presents a systems model for teachers called a Teacher System for Personalized Instruction (TSPI). Topics discussed include diagnosing the needs of the learner; self-paced learning; motivation; achievement; mastery learning; evaluation plan; and cognitive, affective,…

Analyzes transcripts of four reading lessons based on the Kamehameha Reading Program (emphasizing discussion and oral language within group reading lessons) given to three low-ability second grade readers. Identifies six components important to reading success, including contextual-based lessons, minimal skills instruction, and active quests for…

Discussion of the effectiveness of computer-managed instruction (CMI) focuses on a study that examined the perceptions of administrators, teachers, and parents of the value and effectiveness of a commercial CMI program. The implementation of the program in support of the elementary reading curriculum in a metropolitan school system is described.…

A two-year study determined the effects of a comprehensive cooperative-learning approach to reading and language arts instruction on students' achievement, attitudes, and metacognitive awareness. Students in second through sixth grades, some mainstreamed academically handicapped, worked in heterogeneous learning teams on reading and writing…