This paper interrogates relationships among literacy research, policy development and classroom practice. It does so with concern that the fields of literacy research, policy and practice do not interact with one another in ways that are congruent or productive, as evidenced in recent government literacy reports in Australia and overseas. With a…

This article addresses the International Reading Association's foundational knowledge requirement that educators recognize historical antecedents to contemporary reading methods and materials. The historical overview presented here highlights the ineffective methods and restrictive materials that have been discarded and the progress that has been…

Previous research indicates that a transactional strategies instruction (TSI) approach to teaching comprehension strategies improves students' reading on standardized tests and other reading measures. However, to date, TSI is not prevalent in schools. The purpose of this article is to provide a more detailed description of the approach, to report…

The purpose of this case study was to examine the experience of an early childhood teacher and her culturally and linguistically diverse students within a newly implemented RTI framework in a large urban district. The participant was a second grade teacher serving a large proportion (50%) of English learners. This case study included (a) extensive…

While animal assisted therapy (AAT) has been a successful part of treatment plans within the medical field for several decades, AAT has not been quantitatively researched as a viable instructional tool that can be used in conjunction with other reading intervention strategies. With over one-third of elementary school aged children experiencing…

The purpose of this phenomenological study was to investigate the lived experience of integrating new literacies in math and science content by upper elementary and middle school teachers. This study highlights the lived experience of six teachers including two elementary math teachers, two middle school math teachers, and two middle school…

Purpose: Traditional school vision screening has focused on the examination of distance vision using screenings such as the "School Vision Screening" used in this study. No vision screenings for determining how well children can see print or pictures at close distances are administered on a regular basis. The purpose of the study was to…

This ex post facto, quasi-experimental study was conducted at a single-site, kindergarten through eighth grade district in rural, southeastern Connecticut. Of the single cohort of kindergarten students (N = 35) participating, eight students received fall intervention from a trained paraprofessional using "Stepping Stones to Literacy" and…

The National Reading Panel has identified 5 essential components of reading instruction, all of which are needed to achieve the complex skill of reading, one of which is oral reading fluency (ORF). The Alabama Reading Initiative endorses teaching a scientifically research-based reading program to fidelity to raise ORF scores. In a rural Alabama…

The purpose of this study was to explore the relation between primary grade teachers' knowledge of reading and reading instruction and a variety of educational, demographic, motivational, and self-perception variables. The sample for this study was comprised of 388 first, second, and third grade teachers. Data were obtained through the use of two…

This reader-friendly teaching guide makes the next steps of literacy instruction clear and easy for K-6 educators. Developed by highly respected experts Smartt and Glaser, this book gives readers a specific breakdown of the indicators on today's most popular reading assessments and matches those items with interventions that make a real…

"Education Matters" is the monthly newsletter of the Association of American Educators (AAE), an organization dedicated to advancing the American teaching profession through personal growth, professional development, teacher advocacy and protection. This issue of the newsletter includes: (1) The War on Progress: Why the National…

The WWC practice guide "Improving Reading Comprehension in Kindergarten Through 3rd Grade" presents a set of evidence-based practices that teachers and other educators can use to successfully teach reading comprehension to young readers. The guide, developed by a panel of experts, presents a set of evidence-based practices that teachers…

Reading fluency is a critical component of effective reading instruction for students of early elementary age. However, national data suggest that 40% of U.S. fourth-grade students are nonfluent readers. Implementing evidence-based, time-efficient, and procedurally standardized instructional strategies may help address this problem. This study…

Practitioners are increasingly expected to provide reading instruction to students with intellectual disabilities to help them become literate. Whereas explicit, systematic reading instruction is effective at preventing reading difficulties for most young children, its effectiveness for children with intellectual disabilities remains unclear. The…