The rapid proliferation of reading coaches is one of the responses to increased attention to reading achievement and the achievement gap in the United States. In recent years, reading has been the focus of both state and federal reading initiatives. With the changing roles have come a variety of new titles, such as reading coach and literacy…

The results of a recent National Center for Education Statistics (NCES) study that finds that public school students are performing better then private school students should be interpreted cautiously. The National Assessment of Education Progress (NAEP) data used in the study provide a snapshot of student achievement at the time the NAEP tests…

In a real sense, PISA 2003 has touched the mathematics education community by stealth rather than by storm. Although PISA brings "baggage" commonly associated with international assessments, it takes some refreshing perspectives especially in the way that it envisions and assesses mathematical literacy. In this panel discussion we focus…

Charter schools have become a very popular instrument for reforming public schools, because they expand choices, facilitate local innovation, and provide incentives for the regular public schools while remaining under public control. Despite their conceptual appeal, evaluating their performance has been hindered by the selective nature of their…

The America Reads Challenge (ARC) program, part of AmeriCorps, has the primary goal of ensuring that all children can read proficiently by the end of third grade. In Mississippi, the ARC program is referred to as the America Reads-Mississippi (ARM) program. In 1999, 37 schools in 25 school districts participated in this program, sponsored by 3…

This study examined the effectiveness of phonemic awareness drills on phonological awareness and word reading performance in English of Mainland Chinese students in primary school. Employing a nonequivalent control group design, the research questions explored: (1) whether phonemic awareness drills promoted phonological awareness with the English…

The principal of the school needs to be highly knowledgeable of how reading should be taught. He/she must know the different psychologies and philosophies of reading instruction. Word recognition techniques and diverse comprehension skills should also be in the repertoire of the school principal. The principal must work in the direction of helping…

Much debate centers on motivating students in reading achievement. Should students feel motivated from within (intrinsic motivation), or is it better to have extrinsic motivation whereby external stimuli are used to help learners achieve optimally in reading? This paper aims to analyze the two points of view about motivating students in reading…

Much debate centers on motivating student in reading achievement. Should students feel motivated from within (intrinsic motivation), or is it better to have extrinsic motivation whereby external stimuli are used to help learners achieve optimally in reading? This paper aims to analyze the two points of view about motivating students in reading…

Housed within the Center for Curriculum and Technology at the North Central Regional Educational Laboratory (NCREL) is the Literature Signature Area, with the primary purpose of improving the reading achievement of all students by providing assistance to state education agencies, intermediate state educational units, and local school districts in…

The 1970 International Educational Achievement (IEA) survey placed New Zealand's nine and fourteen year olds first in reading achievement in comparison with all other participating countries. Literacy educators the world over have studied New Zealand's methods and classroom environments, and its approaches to reading/writing instruction have been…

"The Achiever" is published monthly during the school year for parents and community leaders. Each issue contains news and information about school improvement in the United States. The following articles are included in this issue: (1) President Establishes National Advisory Panel on Math: Experts to Advise on "Best Available…

This manual contains typed texts for each level of the Summative Booklist for Narrative Texts. The 38 typed texts are included for use with running records and oral reading strategies analysis. Each form and/or procedure is accompanied by specific explanations, directions, and where appropriate, examples to guide usage. The manual is intended to…

A study examined the effect of computer assisted instruction on the reading achievement of third- through sixth-grade students in a low socio-economic status community. Subjects were 23 students randomly selected from 41 students who received computer-assisted instruction and 23 students randomly selected from 28 students who did not receive…

This paper explains the creation and validation of the Narrative Comprehension of Picture Books task (NC task), an assessment of young children's comprehension of wordless picture books. Study 1 explored developmental improvements in the task, as well as relationships to other measures of early reading. Subjects, 158 K-2 students, were…