Examines whether Black characters in four children's or young adult quest fantasy novels are viable, three-dimensional characters, and whether the race of the author affects their portrayal. Discusses why there are so few Black characters in fantasy novels. Argues that publishers must seek out and publish quality fantasy manuscripts that feature…

Examines how parents from different cultural groups mediated a simple narrative text to their 4-year-old children. Suggests when reading is less important for the parents personally, they are less inclined to deviate from the text to negotiate meaning. Notes the ethnic groups differed in how the parents interacted with their children, but these…

Analyzes state standards for early reading/language arts from perspective of what is known about early reading and about standards. Reviews standards of 42 states, with emphasis on subset for grades K-3 in areas of equity, content, and specificity established by Council of Chief State School Officers. Discusses implications for development of…

During the spring of 2004, we conducted research exploring the emotions of struggling readers. Specifically we were interested in finding out how school contexts, curriculum, and relationships influence students' experiences of struggle. Students in this study were 14 first, second, and third graders identified for reading intervention at their…

Pseudoword (non-word) reading tasks are a commonly used measure of phonological processing across diverse fields of reading research. However, whether pseudoword reading gives any more information about phonological processing in young learner readers than does the reading of real words has seldom been considered. Here we show that pseudoword and…

This article reports the results of an experiment investigating the role of comic strips on ESL learners' reading comprehension. The students' proficiency levels were estimated, and students were organized into a low intermediate-level proficiency group (low-level students) and a high intermediate-level proficiency group (high-level students).…

A recent report by Dr. Randall Ryder evaluated the use of Direct Instruction (DI) reading programs in 2 school districts in Wisconsin. In the report, Ryder claimed that students in 1st, 2nd, and 3rd grade who received Direct Instruction scored significantly lower on several standardized tests of reading than students who received more traditional…

Vocabulary and text comprehension strategies are acknowledged as critical components of any comprehensive reading program. This article highlights the scientifically-based research on effective reading instruction related to vocabulary and comprehension development. Specifically, the article provides explicit formats integrating these important…

This article discusses similarities and differences in government policies on literacy in the United Kingdom and the United States and the culture of mistrust that has contributed to governments taking increasing control of education. Transatlantic trends in the areas of national literacy standards, curriculum, and assessment are discussed in…

The purpose of this case study is to describe the challenges one coach faced during the initial implementation of a coaching initiative involving 33 teachers in an urban, high-poverty elementary school. Reading coaches are increasingly expected to play a key role in the professional development efforts to improve reading instruction in order to…

A study investigated the effectiveness of a program for improving motivation to learn among third grade/Chapter 1 reading students in a growing rural community located in northern Illinois. The problem of low motivation was documented by systematic classroom observations, teacher interviews, and student surveys. Analysis of probable cause data…

This review focuses on areas of converging evidence concerning the importance of phonological awareness and the corresponding curricular and instructional implications for diverse learners. Five areas of converging evidence are identified: (1) phonological processing ability explains significant differences between good and poor readers; (2)…

In two sections of a world history class, 43 sixth graders, all considered competent readers, participated in two sets of tasks. First, they used a familiar textbook to locate the answers to six questions, all of which contained terms that could be found in the book's index. Second, they participated in a report-writing project in which they were…

This book summarizes approximately 500 reports of reading research identified between July 1, 1993 and June 30, 1994. The research studies in the book are categorized into six major areas: (1) summaries of reading research; (2) teacher preparation and practice; (3) sociology of reading; (4) physiology and psychology of reading; (5) the teaching of…

Since the introduction of the concept of reciprocal teaching by A. S. Palincsar and A. L. Brown in 1984, researchers have conducted a number of studies that attempted to replicate and/or extend the original one. A review was conducted of 19 studies that used reciprocal teaching to help students improve their ability to comprehend text. The review…