This article reviews research conducted at the Center for the Improvement of Early Reading Achievement that investigated the effects of home, community, school, and teacher factors on students' reading achievement. First, we review studies that highlight the importance of positive school-home partnerships and open communication between schools and…

The papers in this collection represent a wide spectrum of approaches, philosophies, and viewpoints of scholarly endeavor in their treatment of reading theories, research, and processes. The collection begins with an address by the president of the National Reading Conference concerning the tools for reading researchers. The remaining 53 articles…

The papers in this collection represent a wide spectrum of approaches, philosophies, viewpoints, and techniques of scholarly endeavor in their treatment of reading and its cognitive processes. The 48 articles, presented at the 1977 meeting of the National Reading Conference, are arranged according to the following categories: (1) reading and…

Test accommodations for special education (SP) and limited English proficient (LEP) students have attracted much attention recently because proper accommodations promote inclusion and allow students to perform optimally. A meta-analysis of 30 research studies found empirical evidence supporting the position that, with appropriate accommodations,…

Intended as a response to the call for reform of education in the United States, this volume presents theories and practical examples school personnel can use in order to bring about change in reading programs. The articles and their authors are as follows: (1) "Characteristics of Exemplary Reading Programs" (S. Jay Samuels); (2)…

Research has offered evidence that teacher candidates are continually frustrated by a perceived conflict between the ideas expressed in methods course and the practices they see in classrooms where they carry out their observations and practicums. The hypermedia tool Reading Classroom Explorer (RCE) was developed in response to this problem.…

Differential item functioning (DIF) statistics were computed using items from the Peabody Individual Achievement Test (PIAT)-Reading Comprehension subtest for children of the same age group (ages 7 through 12 respectively). The pattern of observed DIF items was determined by comparing each cohort across age groups. Differences related to race and…

This article reports the results of a meta-analysis of 20 research articles containing 89 effect sizes related to the use of digital tools and learning environments to enhance literacy acquisition. Results (weighted effect size of 0.489) demonstrate that technology can have a positive effect on reading comprehension, but little research has…

The purpose of this naturalistic experiment was to discover the operative elements of an evidence-based reform effort that accounted for growth in student achievement. The reform was implemented in 13 schools around the United States over the course of two years. The authors studied the impact of both school-level programmatic elements and…

A study examined how the "Reading Classroom Explorer" (RCE, a hypermedia learning environment) might enhance the learning of preservice teacher education students as they prepare to assume internships. RCE is a searchable database of digitized video clips from the Center for the Study of Reading's video series "Exemplary Ways To Teach Reading."…

A study asked how the use of the Reading Classroom Explorer (RCE)--a hypermedia learning environment that features video clips of successful teachers teaching reading to a diverse array of students--influences beginning teachers' thinking about reading issues. The context of the study was a reading education course which included use of RCE.…

Examines students' perceptions of media, specifically video and a hypermedia learning environment, the Reading Classroom Explorer (RCE), when placed in an existing preservice literacy methods course. Reports that RCE allowed them to easily revisit video and analyze activities, but they were more comfortable with and liked the context provided by…

Describes why and how assessment and accountability can and have become destructive forces. Offers a historical perspective, and examines the crux of the problem: "polluted test scores." Offers examples from the Texas Assessment of Academic Skills test, and from Chicago's summer school program. Points to directions educators might take…

Investigated school and classroom factors related to primary-grade reading achievement in schools with moderate to high numbers of students receiving subsidized lunch. Statistically significant factors included parent-school relationship, systematic assessment, small-group instruction, independent reading, student on-task behavior, strong home…

Examined the impact of Reading Classroom Explorer (RCE), a video-based hypermedia tool, on the ways that preservice teachers used evidence to support claims about teaching reading in course papers. Results indicated that preservice teachers used video cases in RCE as an information resource, and they used RCE to varying degrees for investing in,…