More than 800,000 students with autism spectrum disorder (ASD) are served in U.S. public schools, a number that has increased annually for almost 20 years since Individuals with Disabilities Education Act (IDEA) included ASD as an eligibility category. These students often experience widespread and persistent reading comprehension challenges. A…

Early access to evidence-based reading intervention improves outcomes for students with or at risk for reading difficulties. Additionally, teacher implementation of reading interventions plays a key role in the efficacy of reading interventions. Previous research suggests the influence of intervention implementation fidelity on student language…

In this article, I (a) overview the ebbs and flows of two beginning reading approaches (code-emphasis and balanced instruction) used in U.S. schools from 1950 to the present; (b) compare and contrast the two instructional approaches; and (c) suggest some simple assessment procedures that can be used to measure student learning. In closing, I…

The newly revised Third Edition of "Reading for Understanding: How Reading Apprenticeship Improves Disciplinary Learning in Secondary and College Classrooms" is the latest iteration of the best-selling, landmark book in the field of adolescent literacy. The book contains strategies for boosting the reading independence of middle,…

Students have the right to learn to read as part of their free, appropriate, public education. Yet current assessment data reveal that a substantial number of students in American public-schools are not able to read at a proficient level. If we desire improved student outcomes in reading, we must work for improved instruction in foundational…

Early literacy intervention is critical to students who are struggling to progress in reading. One intervention aimed at supporting students in the first-grade is Reading Recovery (RR). The purpose of this study was to explore the sustainability of gains achieved by first-grade students, on the STAR reading assessment, who exited the Reading…

In this dissertation, I present the findings from the implementation of an informational text reading comprehension intervention. Using a single-case multiple baselines across participants' experimental design, I examined results from three small heterogeneous groups of three to four students during the literacy block in a suburban fourth-grade…

Across the country, school systems are struggling to implement effective, research-based literacy instruction and to help students recover from lost learning time during the pandemic. At the same time, school systems sit near pools of untapped talent--community members who have personally experienced the harm of inequitable school systems and now…

Early literacy skills such as print knowledge are essential building blocks for children's later reading and academic outcomes. Shared book reading activities in early childhood classrooms offer rich opportunities through which educators can support children's print knowledge development by explicitly referring to a book's print. Such references…

This dissertation investigated whether specific music training components of pitch and rhythm had a differential effect on early literacy skills of phonological awareness, alphabet knowledge, and concept of word awareness. In addition, this study examined associations between musical aptitude and early literacy skills. The central element of this…

This quantitative research was conducted to analyze three questions about self-efficacy related to elementary school teachers. First, research was analyzed to determine what effect years of experience have on teachers' self-efficacy related to teaching, if any, at three Title 1 schools in the southeastern United States receiving mandated LETRS…

Teacher accountability and test scores currently drive many practices within the field of education. At the same time, student populations have become increasingly diverse, causing classroom teachers to feel pressured to teach to the test. Differentiated instruction has emerged as a best practice to help maximize learning for all students.…

The problem explored by this study was that teachers' perspectives are not implemented when selecting and utilizing phonics instruction in kindergarten through second grade classrooms. The purpose of this qualitative case study was to explore primary teachers' rationales and experiences when choosing and implementing phonics instruction in primary…

Teaching reading to children from minoritized communities in ways that are both effective and meaningful is demanding and complex work. It requires educators to integrate their knowledge of (a) the various skills involved in reading, (b) assisting children to learn to read, and (c) the everyday sociocultural practices and identities of young…

"Champions of Literacy" is a guide designed for Alaska school board members. This guide recognizes school board members as Champions of Literacy in their local education ecosystem and provides them with the tools to plan strategically, analyze school and district data, understand key approaches, and deepen their commitment to…