This report describes the evolution of an innovative research project in which inservice special education teachers engaged in collaborative strategy instruction with small groups of severely reading-delayed adolescents (ages 12-16). The report emphasizes how teachers' contributions resulted in a unique approach to reading strategy instruction.…

To investigate the differences between an instructional program that explicitly emphasized both decoding and comprehension and one that emphasized only comprehension, a study engaged two groups of first grade children identified as being at risk for learning to read in both effective decoding instruction and meaningful comprehension and thinking…

The handbook details techniques and approaches for teaching adolescent Laotian and Cambodian refugees, aged 10-17, to read. It evolved from a workshop for teachers of English as a Second Language (ESL) in which 17 such students participated. The book begins by looking at reading as a psycholinguistic guessing game, then proceeds to classroom…

Based on research findings and practical experience, this booklet presents 10 interrelated ideas to transform instruction in reading and heighten literacy learning for all students. The booklet notes that research has led to new understandings about basic cognitive and instructional processes (particularly those involved in reading comprehension).…

A study reviewed the effects of the whole language movement. Two forms of analysis were used: meta-analysis, and a simple "vote-counting" procedure. Quantitative studies that compared a whole language and a traditional (or basal reading) approach, published between 1988 and 1993, were selected for analysis. A total of 45 studies were…

Teaching strategies are outlined for teachers of English as a second language to use in improving students' listening and reading comprehension skills specifically for two standardized tests: the Test of English for International Communication (TOEIC) and the Test of English as a Foreign Language (TOEFL). The strategies presented are not intended…

Some general principles of teaching reading in the second language classroom are reviewed. To illustrate the connection between theory and practice, examples are provided of teaching practices used with adult learners of English as a Second language (ESL) who have Chinese and Vietnamese-language backgrounds. A discussion follows of how instruction…

This book provides practical implementation strategies for, and a clear outline of, the theory behind the child-centered classroom, a theory which involves an understanding of the concepts of whole language and active learning. It is hoped that teachers will use the ideas in the book to build their own beliefs and understandings, and to develop…

"A Vision for the Future" is a comprehensive long-range plan to study, develop, implement, and evaluate an ambitious dropout reduction program in the Charleston (South Carolina) School District. The program entails: (1) improved data reporting on student performance, grade retention, and attrition to identify dropout indicators and risk…

Concern about the high percentage of underprepared minority students in American schools and the increasing demand that schools educate them to a level never before attained are discussed, and a study of reading disabled bilingual students is reported. It is noted that continuing to allow a disproportionate number of minority or disadvantaged…

An intensive industry immersion program of reading and mathematics was conducted in Spring 1989 for employees at Valley Products, Inc., in a cooperative venture by the Literacy Foundation, Memphis, the Memphis City Schools Adult Education Program, and the company. Employee participants were assessed with the San Diego Quick Assessment Test to…

A teacher used classics of children's literature to teach critical reading skills. Although scoring above the national average on the Iowa Tests of Basic Skills (ITBS), the teacher's fourth-grade gifted students exhibited problems with critical reading skills. A literature unit involving whole language strategies and using Beverly Cleary's…

A review of literature addresses two main issues: (1) how the acquisition of English by deaf signing children has been understood as an instance of second language learning; and (2) how deaf children learn to read English, given this understanding. The first chapter chronicles the history of language use in deaf education and reviews research on…

Designed to challenge students to think critically and to motivate them to relate their own personal experiences to a broader panorama of society, this curriculum guide presents a seventh-grade unit on "The Struggle for Equality" and an eighth-grade unit on "The Movements of People." The three related goals of the curriculum…

This report presents results of a process evaluation of Michigan State bilingual education and migrant education programs. The programs provide counseling and supplemental instruction in reading, mathematics, and communication to 761 bilingual students and 855 migrant students. The process evaluation was accomplished through a questionnaire to all…