Reports findings of a survey, asking 1000 secondary social studies teachers to rate 36 specialist-designed reading practices. Shows teachers value and employ these techniques: (1) provide suitable materials; (2) offer instruction and guidance; (3) develop readiness through prereading; (4) encourage recitation, discussion, and comparative reading.…

Studies low-achieving fifth-grade readers to evaluate the feasibility of a cross-age reading program and to clarify implementation details for a large-scale project. Finds that quantitative results and qualitative data suggest that cross-age reading programs are a promising way to help poor readers to improve their reading. (MG)

Examines how a literature-based reading workshop incorporating minilessons, sustained silent reading, and responses to literature in dialogue journals affected the reading attitudes and levels of book involvement of learning disabled middle school students. Finds clear demonstration that students' reading attitudes and involvement improved. (RS)

Discusses how interactive, whole class techniques (using a student-generated Big Book adaptation of "Corduroy") improved the reading skills of high risk first grade readers. Describes several activities, including sight word strategies, decoding techniques, and word processing, and suggests 27 Big Books for use with these activities. (MM)

In 1997, the National Institute of Child Health Development, under the direction of Congress and the Secretary of Education, created the National Reading Panel to study scientifically based reading research. The Reading First initiative under President Bush's No Child Left Behind Act focused on five of the panel's research topics: phonemic…

While "hevruta" (text study in pairs) is a traditional form of Jewish learning, it has rarely been the subject of empirical research. Building off of research on reading and interpreting literary texts and sociocultural theories of learning, the author closely analyzes transcripts and videos of students studying in "hevruta." Through this fine…

This is a compilation of reports on international literacy research. The report includes 3 separate reports on France, United Kingdom and Brazil. In the first report, research correspondent Jacques Fijalkow presents research into variations of reading motivation related to students' socioeconomic status (SES), age, and gender. Three of these…

Waterford Early Reading Program[TM] is a software-based curriculum for students in Kindergarten through second grade. The curriculum is designed to promote reading, writing, and typing, incorporating literacy skills such as letter mastery, language stories, spelling, basic writing skills, reading and listening development, and comprehension…

A study investigated the effectiveness of a program for improving the recreational reading habits of elementary students through the use of cross-age tutoring in critical reading strategies. The targeted population consisted of a kindergarten and a fourth-grade class in the growing upper-middle-class community of Geneva, Illinois, located…

This book discusses what can be done to extend literacy and raise literacy standards for all sections of the population, the relationship between home learning and school learning, and the role of parents in their children's education, focusing on the situation in England. It is designed to assist teachers who work cooperatively with parents in…

To address middle school students' lack of motivation for recreational reading, the practicum reported here integrated activities designed to improve student attitudes toward reading into a middle school reading program. A target group of 75 students in sixth and seventh grades grouped homogeneously in remedial, average, or enrichment classes…

To gather information on the relationship of parent behavior during reading situations to preschool children's cognitive ability, a study of 12 female and 9 male preschool children and their parents was undertaken. Children were administered a battery of tests that measured intelligence, creativity, perceived self-competence, and language skills.…

This booklet focuses on the reading literacy test scores of students in the grade levels where most 9- and 14-year-olds were to be found in 32 national systems of education. Data were collected from 9,073 schools, 10,518 teachers, and 210,059 students. The booklet describes the achievement levels of carefully selected probability samples of…

A study examined the results and effectiveness of the second year of the Reading Recovery program in New Hampshire. With the 29 Reading Recovery teachers from the 1990-91 class, 21 teachers in the class trained in school year 1991-92, and the two teacher leaders, a total of 52 teachers taught Reading Recovery during the 1991-92 school year. A…

Paying particular attention to the far reaching impact and policies of the goals and ideas identified in the report "America 2000: An Educational Strategy," the papers in this book focus on the strategies, practices, and research that may guide the future of literacy instruction for persons of all ages. Papers in the book are:…