This paper provides an overview of the Waterford Early Reading Program (WERP), which is designed to shift teaching and learning away from remediation and failure to prevention, early achievement, and sustained growth for every student. WERP includes three levels of instruction: emergent, beginning, and fluent readers. It targets pre-K through…

This paper provides an overview of the Wilson Reading System, which teaches students word structure and language through a carefully sequenced, 12-step system that helps them master decoding and spelling. The program targets the needs of students at all levels (K-12), specifically students with language learning disabilities such as dyslexia;…

This issue of "Community Update" focuses on families involved in learning. The first article briefly discusses the "Ready to Read, Ready to Learn" White House summit that highlighted new research on early childhood learning. The center spread of this issue offers "Priming the Primary Educator: A Look at L. A. County's…

Beginning in 1978, a 20-year study charted the evolution of the public education system in Mexico, focusing on literacy instruction for various age groups and special populations. Drawing on descriptions of schools visited during the author's 13 visits to Mexico, this book describes Mexican educational practices, with the aim of helping U.S.…

The primary goals of the Texas Education Agency's Educational Technologies Providing Increased Learning Opportunities for Texas Students (Ed Tech PILOTS) are to employ technology to more efficiently and effectively delivery information to students and teachers to enhance the efficacy of classroom instruction. This interim report discusses the…

This study assessed the effect of the Success for All school reform model on the standardized reading scores, attendance, and disciplinary needs of 217 students in three elementary schools using the program and 132 similar students in three other urban schools. The schools were also compared using teacher, student, and parent perception data on…

This book is the product of a collaborative partnership between the two authors to develop a year-long literary/literacy program for first grade children based on bridging learning in the library and the classroom. Some of the objectives of the program described in the book are: to provide opportunities for children to experience personal…

These four volumes of a quarterly newsletter offer a collection of articles on teaching English as a Second Language to refugees. The volumes in this document are: Volume 7, Fall 1999 - Special Edition; Volume 8, Spring 2000; Volume 9, Spring 2000; and Volume 12, Fall 2002. Topics covered in these volumes include: "Fort Dix, NJ: Operation…

The Reach System is a set of direct instruction (DI) programs designed to bring students who are performing as low as grade 1 level in language arts to performing at grade 8 level within 2 years of instruction delivered 3 hours per day. It involves a comprehensive system of professional development, curriculum, and instruction within the larger DI…

Intended as a resource for mainstream teachers, this document summarizes current research on effective ways for teachers to meet the educational needs of American Indian students in public schools. The first section discusses the history of U.S. governmental intervention in American Indian education, which influences how some American Indians view…

Reports on two studies that examined differences in the processing strategies of beginning readers, as indicated by an analysis of oral reading errors. (FL)

Describes efforts to help teachers learn to use new math and reading assessments in their classrooms, highlighting characteristics of professional development that successfully foster change in teachers' ideas and practice. After describing a multi-year staff development/research project on assessment, the paper discusses factors that support and…

Compares the effects of an enriched syllabus including extensive reading and frequent writing assignments on English descriptive writing performance at four form levels for Cantonese-speaking students participating in three English programs: (1) regular plus unrelated (mathematics) enrichment; (2) regular plus extensive reading; and (3) regular…

Presents the key findings of an evaluation of an Integrated Learning System in nine United Kingdom primary and secondary schools. The evaluation design was based on the comparison of outcome performance in mathematics and reading and on student behavior, including attendance, in experimental and control groups. (Author/LRW)

A fourth-grade teacher examined whether students could develop their own questions about reading selections. She observed students, discussed their reading preferences, and evaluated the effectiveness of their question writing. By utilizing the questioning process, the children learned to be more confident, independent learners capable of…