Technical Assistance on Identifying Schools with Effective Reading Programs

An estimated 20 percent of our nation’s children experience significant difficulty learning how to read, and another 20 percent do not read fluently enough to read for pleasure. Results from the 2003 National Assessment of Educational Progress indicate that 37 percent of 4th graders are considered to be below a basic level. However, there are schools that boast empirical evidence of the effectiveness of their reading program for all children, even those children at risk of reading failure. Detailed examination and explication of these programs would potentially respond to the nation’s need for improved reading achievement among children not currently succeeding. To respond to this urgent need, EDC has joined forces with Rosenblum Brigham Associates to devise methodology to identify schools with effective reading programs.