The final result of this inquiry study will be the compilation of a Literacy Portfolio on a targeted reader. The data included within the portfolio will come from strategies and tools teachers were introduced to in Year One of the Reading Initiative and for which teachers gathered data both on themselves and on younger learners. The study revisits…

This scholarly journal, an official publication of the Reading Recovery Council of North America, was established to provide an interdisciplinary forum on issues related to the acquisition of language, literacy development, and instructional theory and practice. Articles in Volume 5, Number 1 are: "Affinities and Contradictions: The Dynamics…

Reading has been perceived as a dynamic transactional process wherein readers negotiate meaning with writers by virtue of their prior knowledge. The act of meaning construction is realized primarily through the exploration of intertextual links that connect various sources of texts the readers have composed or experienced. Readers utilize…

Given the central role of television in most children's lives, it is important to understand its potential positive and negative effects on a variety of cognitive, academic, social, behavioral, and attitudinal outcomes. A study aims to explore the relation between early television viewing and later reading achievement. Motivating the research is…

The purpose of this investigation was to examine the effect of a reading management system, Accelerated Reader, on the norm referenced scores of selected second- through sixth-grade at-risk and not at-risk students over a three-year period of time. This was to determine if there was any significant change in the scores between students who…

The purpose of this report is to increase understanding of the achievement levels for the National Assessment of Educational Progress (NAEP), what they are, and what they are not. NAEP is a survey of American students' knowledge and skills in different subjects at grades 4, 8, and 12. NAEP combines the samples of performances to provide…

This paper presents a comprehensive framework for examining book use in early childhood settings, including the following dimensions: the book area; the amount of time provided for book reading; integration of books into the broader curriculum; the nature of the book reading events; and the nature of the home-school connection with respect to book…

As education professionals work to incorporate scientific, evidence-based practices into reading instruction, one thing is clear: sound decisions depend on a solid understanding of what the research says. This book brings together all the information readers need in a single volume. A masterful synthesis of information from leading experts in the…

An ex post facto study examined third grade students' achievement test scores both before and after the adoption of a literature-based basal reading text. The experimental groups consisted of five third grade classes at Terre Town Elementary School (Indiana) for each of the years 1988 through 1993. Mean scores were plotted and data were visually…

A study examined the amount of time instructional level and remedial readers in second grade were engaged in reading connected text during an entire school day. Subjects were six instructional and six remedial readers who were observed in six different schools. Time engaged in reading connected text was defined as students' eyes following several…

A study investigated whether direct instruction, used as a main instruction strategy, with a concentrated curriculum, can help students quickly improve their basic reading skills. Subjects, 18 students (age 7 to 15 years) with reading problems, received individualized treatments for 3 weeks (or 12 hours). Pre-test, treatments, and posttest was the…

A study assessed the readability of health education pamphlets and booklets distributed to local health department clients in North Carolina through their maternal health, child health, and family planning clinics. The materials analyzed came from various vendors, but excluded materials developed by local and state public health staff. The sample…

This paper provides insight into the history and growth of the National Reading Research Center (NRRC), that was charged to engage in research aimed at improving the reading proficiency of all students and to develop a broad, comprehensive model of reading acquisition that integrates the various cognitive, social, motivational, cultural, and…

This paper provides a review of the theoretical discussions and practical studies relating to fluency instruction and reading development. The basic research strategy was to survey the range of definitions for fluency, the primary features of fluent reading, and studies that have attempted to improve the fluency of struggling readers in one of…

Reading aloud and training in phonemic awareness have been promoted as two ways to increase children's reading ability. Reading aloud encourages children to find pleasure in reading and use literature to aid in learning. Children with early awareness of individual sounds in words, called phonemes, and the ability to manipulate them are more likely…