Reading First Grant To Help Texas School District Improve Reading Skills

2004 ◽  
Author(s):  
Author(s):  
Loveleah B. Albarillo

Reading is a problem for teachers in the Philippines. It becomes even more acute for teachers in rural areas. In Surigao del Sur (Northeastern Mindanao—Philippines), the problem is especially worrisome. I designed a study that determines the predictors of the reading skills of teachers in a rural school district. To analyze the data, I used the frequency weighted mean, Pearson Moment-Product Correlation Coefficient, and regression analysis. I also used a standardized reading test as the reading instrument. On top of that, I asked the teachers to build a personal profile with socio-demographic and pedagogical variables. I gathered the data through a questionnaire. The results confirm in Surigao del Sur what is known to be the state of reading habits of teachers in the Philippines. The quality of reading skills is low or poor. The teachers are not able to teach competently in language and reading. They have higher order skills in scanning and points of view. They have average levels of vocabulary. They use study aids infrequently. They have low levels of reading comprehension. Age is the most important predictor of reading skill. It tends to decline as teachers grow older. They read less the longer they stay in the service. It is specifically noticeable among teachers who do not exert the effort to deepen their professional studies. Teachers 40 and above need a special reading intervention. To prevent a decline in reading skill, all rural teachers ought to do graduate-level work.   Keywords - socio-demographic variables, pedagogical variables, reading skills of teachers


2008 ◽  
Vol 74 (2) ◽  
pp. 235-256 ◽  
Author(s):  
Lauren A. Katz ◽  
C. Addison Stone ◽  
Joanne F. Carlisle ◽  
Douglas Lyman Corey ◽  
Ji Zeng

This 2-year longitudinal study examined initial evidence of progress in reading for 1,512 children with and without identified speech-language and/or learning disabilities (LD-SLD) in the context of the explicit literacy instruction provided in Michigan's Reading First (RF) schools. The findings suggested that children with LD-SLD labels demonstrated significantly slower growth compared to children without LD-SLD labels. Children considered more at risk also demonstrated slower progress in oral reading fluency (but not reading comprehension) compared to children considered less at risk. Implications are discussed in relationship to the extent of instructional support needed by children identified as LD-SLD in the mainstream, and in terms of the specific dimension of reading skills as a criterion.


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