A study determined the effectiveness of the "Direct Instruction" program on the reading achievement of sixth-grade students. "Direct Instruction," known as "Distar" in the 1960s, is a phonic-based method that uses scripted lesson plans engaging students to learn by memory and classroom responses. Subjects were 30 sixth-grade students randomly selected from a pool of 72 students who attended Arna W. Bontemps Public School located in the predominantly low socioeconomic neighborhood in Chicago, Illinois' Greater Englewood area. Subjects' scores on the reading portion of the Iowa Tests of Basic Skills were compared. Results indicated that students taught using Direct Instruction as opposed to students taught in the regular classroom had no statistically significant difference on reading scores. Findings of an earlier study suggest that students have to be taught Direct Instruction for 2 years before a significant difference appears. (Contains 13 references and 1 table of data.) (RS)