National reading first program

However, states can only obtain these funds by committing themselves to professional development of all teachers of reading, based upon and limited to the view of reading instruction embodied in the Reading First Initiative. This Initiative is the culmination of a recent trend, as the federal government has increasingly attempted to define what reading is, to limit what counts as research on reading, and to dictate how reading should be taught in our classrooms.

As a consequence, the government is channeling education funding to a few corporate purveyors of a limited set of methods of reading instruction. As a professional community actively involved in literacy research and instruction, NCTE has systematically opposed these mandates, partly through resolutions , , and on government intrusion into professional decision making.

Some of the weaknesses of Reading First stem from its dependence upon the National Reading Panel report as its research base. The research examined does not represent the full range of scientifically valid research methodology, but appears to have been chosen as selective support for a preconceived notion of what constitutes best practice.

In reality, alternative approaches to instruction have not been compared with the approaches of commercial programs as to their overall effectiveness. The professional community raises many areas of concern with respect to available commercial programs:. Teachers are finding, too, that some of the mandated scripted programs are crowding out of the curriculum the time needed for reading aloud, independent reading of enjoyable and informational texts, writing, discussion, and in-depth exploration of literature.

Departments of Education and Health and Human Services. Developing Early Literacy bridges a large gap in the early-literacy research knowledge base.

By synthesizing research on language, literacy, and communication, the report clearly identifies which critical early skills or abilities and proven instructional practices are precursors of later literacy achievement. It provides important clues and insights into emergent literacy from birth through age 5 and points the way for future literacy research and scientific inquiry.

The final evaluation report was released in May Using a quasi-experimental design, the study found that the program had a positive impact on children's print and letter knowledge, but not on phonological awareness or oral language.

The evaluation also found that the program had positive impacts on aspects of the classroom environment and teacher practices that are intended to support the development of language and literacy skills.

The National Reading Panel NRP reviewed more than , studies on reading and identified five components essential to a child's ability to learn to read: phonics, phonemic awareness, fluency, vocabulary, and comprehension.

Additional information is available on the NRP's publications page. It describes the findings of the NRP and provides analysis and discussion in five areas of reading instruction. The publication is also available in a PDF version. The Center for Applied Linguistics is providing technical assistance on reading instruction for English language learners.

International Reading Association. Adams, M. Phonemic Awareness in Young Children. Baltimore: Paul H. Brookes Publishing. This book addresses the "research to practice" issue in phonemic awareness and includes activities that stimulate the development of "phonemic awareness" in early education programs.

While MOST teachers are familiar with the term "phonemic awareness" and its importance in the process of acquiring literacy, but knowing how to teach and support "phonemic awareness" learning has been a challenge for many. The authors intend to close the gap between the research findings and classroom instruction by providing a developmental curriculum in "phonemic awareness" based upon validated classroom research that originated in Sweden and Denmark, and was then adapted and researched in classrooms in the United States.

Apel, K. California: Prima Publishing. Sponsored by the American Speech-Language-Hearing Association, this book describes how children develop language from their earliest words to sentences.

With the understanding that parents are the primary language role models for their children, the authors provide parents with a guide to understanding language development as well as ways in which they can interact with their children to promote language development. Burns, M. Washington, D. Students who read 10 books over the summer will receive a variety of prizes, including free books and a Summer Reading Achievers certificate.

Department of Education—to bring the findings of evidence-based reading research to the educational community, families, and others with an interest in helping all people learn to read well. The partnership's mission is to disseminate evidence-based research, a focus that makes it substantively different from earlier information dissemination efforts and clearinghouses.

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