A hearing, held in Marietta, Georgia, on February 20, 2001, before the Committee on Education and the Workforce, House of Representatives, 107th Congress, dealt with reading and accountability and improving 21st century schools. These proceedings of the hearing contain the following: Statement of Congressman Bob Barr, 7th District of Georgia, U.S.…

This book makes the case for preserving integrated, holistic reading programs, debunking the belief in one-size-fits-all instruction and taking readers inside classrooms to demonstrate progressive, meaning-centered teaching. The book offers easy-to-use strategies that build upon the life experiences and language that children bring with them to…

Teachers today are in a stranglehold as a glut of mandates and standards restrict their ability to make decisions in their own classrooms. In many schools, scripted, regimented commercial programs further erode their power to view their students as individuals with unique talents and needs. Even the words they use "to teach" are no…

Basically, the concept of guided reading means that teachers guide students through materials that are used for instruction. A critical foundation in guided reading is that students read materials at their instructional levels. During a typical lesson, students discuss both the content and the strategies they used to make sense of what is being…

Reading instruction and placing students into groups emphasizes a plethora of approaches. Each method of grouping for instructional purposes should stress providing for learners' individual purposes. Which plans are appropriate for grouping students for reading instruction? Team teaching has many advocates, but it has both advantages and…

A study investigated differences in literacy teaching and learning between those classrooms following the "Literacy Initiative for Teachers" (LIFT) program and those using normal teaching techniques. A subsidiary aim was to document the staffing ratios throughout the day in the classrooms and the amount of time devoted to English. One Reception…

The National Writing Project at Work monograph series describes National Writing Project (NWP) work, often shared informally or in workshops through the NWP network, and offers detailed chronological accounts for sites interested in adopting and adapting the models. This monograph--"The Story of SCORE"--is a realistic look at how an…

This booklet contains 25 classroom-ready, literacy-building activities that can also serve as a starting point for teachers to develop their own activities. The metacognitive aspects of the exercises encourage students to reflect on what they did and what they learned and to discuss what they got out of the exercises. The activities share the…

Low achievement in literacy correlates with high rates of school dropout, poverty, and underemployment. The far-reaching effects of literacy achievement have heightened the interest of educators and noneducators alike in the teaching of reading. As the goal is pursued of providing literacy instruction that is most likely to lead to high rates of…

This paper discusses the importance of scaffolding and other techniques in teaching reading. It details numerous ways to employ scaffolding, such as the following: a teacher may read aloud new passages while students follow along; a teacher may print new words on the chalkboard before students read a passage which uses the words; and teachers may…

Teachers will use this edition, completely updated from the important 1997 publication, to make sound decisions about instructional programs and materials. They'll find a broad and balanced perspective for building a practice around the best possible evidence-based reading research. This new edition includes: Expanded core understandings with…

This article on what principals should know about reading addresses the issue of how to prepare students to become competent lifelong readers. It lays the foundation for bringing about high gains in reading motivation and achievement, and presents five basic premises and sets of recommendations for each premise. The premises are: (1) children…

This book describes the use of Literacy Teams, teams of teachers and others who systematically look for ways to help one another and draw on a wide range of campus and community resources to help children struggling to learn to read. The book is written to help teachers, parents, reading specialists, counselors, and principals to work together in…

Many articles exist dealing with reading instruction and the current debate between phonics and whole language reading programs. A review of the literature indicates that most journal articles are in favor of teaching phonics along with other methods. There are many different opinions about whether phonics helps students learn to read, if it is a…

This informational report on Accelerated Reader, a learning information system which provides educators with accurate, current data for every student in every class, was submitted to the superintendent of South Bay Union School District in Imperial Beach, California by the assistant superintendent. The report documents the academic gains made in…