No description available.

No description available.

No description available.

No description available.

No description available.

Children who experience early reading difficulties in school tend to remain poor readers throughout their school years. By fourth grade children with reading difficulties may be working more than two years behind their classmates and the gap widening. Intervention at the very beginning of literacy acquisition holds promise for helping large numbers of children to avoid this pattern of failure. It is crucial, therefore, to learn as much as possible about how classrooms teachers and reading teachers can best help high-risk students early on, before the pattern of failure is firmly established. The major purpose of this study has been to learn more about how and when children receiving an early intervention transfer their new knowledge to use in their regular classrooms. Do they utilize the skills they are learning in the one-to-one tutoring situation when they return to the classroom? Does participation in the intervention give students increased access to classroom literacy? An additional purpose has been to probe promising practices for supporting high-risk beginning readers in the transition from intervention back to the classroom. The study employs qualitative research methods. It monitors the progress of four children involved in an early intervention program, both in the intervention and in the first grade classroom. Data collected over an eight-month period are drawn from participant observation, audio and video taping of representative portions of the classroom reading program, teacher and student interviews, notes and reflections, and student assessments. The study concludes that significant progress in nurturing new strategies for reading appears to be closely linked to the number and variety of opportunities in the classroom to practice and reinforce strategies learned during the intervention. The classroom teacher's encouragement to explore new strategies, the teacher's view of reading as a meaningful and strategic problem solving process, the teacher's clear expectations and thorough instruction in the care and use of the abundant resources at the students' disposal, and the teacher's encouragement of risk taking by students also played a significant role in reinforcing what the children were learning in the intervention.

Thesis (Ed.D.)--Boston University / PLEASE NOTE: Boston University Libraries did not receive an Authorization To Manage form for this thesis or dissertation. It is therefore not openly accessible, though it may be available by request. If you are the author or principal advisor of this work and would like to request open access for it, please contact us at open-help@bu.edu. Thank you. / This study investigated the ways in which teachers differentiate instruction to meet individual students' literacy needs. Specific questions related to planning, grouping, instruction, and monitoring were considered. Case studies of two teams of teachers in two classrooms in an urban elementary school were conducted. Three focal children, identified as low, average, or high performers, were shadowed by observers for 16 hours over 8 days. The teachers were interviewed before, during, and after the study and classroom artifacts were collected. Data analysis yielded eight findings in two categories (grouping practices and instruction) for the first-grade classroom and six findings in two categories (grouping practices and instruction) for the second-grade classroom. First, teachers used all forms of grouping routinely and flexibly throughout the day and week. Second, in the first-grade classroom, the change in group membership varied according to type, while in the second grade classroom the change was dictated by student need. Third, in both classrooms, teacher's decisions about grouping arrangements were made on the basis of: grade level curriculum or content, and observation of individual needs. In the second-grade classroom, teacher's decisions were also made on the availability of personnel. Fourth, in the first grade classroom, students' decisions about grouping arrangements were made on the basis of: (I) environment created by the teacher, (2) student choice or interest, (3) availability of books/materials, and ( 4) availability of time. In the first-grade classroom, children at all levels received equal teacher time. Instruction in word level and comprehension strategies were balanced across performance levels. Finally, instruction was modified by explicitness of directions, expectations for independent work, and/or teacher support. In the second-grade classroom, instructional time and instructional focus varied among performance levels. Children who struggled received increased emphasis on word level knowledge. Finally, instruction was modified by explicitness of directions, expectations for independent work, and/or teacher support. Limitations include the inability of the researcher to observe and describe the literacy instruction provided outside the scheduled literacy block. / 2999-01-01

Doctor of Philosophy / Curriculum and Instruction Programs / Paul R. Burden / Military-connected students are a highly mobile population who undergo a great deal of stress in their lives. These factors can overflow into life in the elementary classroom, causing challenges for teachers. This study looked at the percieved challenges elementary classroom teachers face when working with military-connected students in one public school district with schools located on a military base and other schools near it. A Likert-type survey of questions was created and administered to teachers using an online survey tool. The survey was sent to elementary teachers working in schools in one public school district in the Midwestern United States with a garnered response rate of 42.2% (n=68). The schools in the district were located in a city near and on a military base. The study used exploratory factor analysis, descriptive statistics, independent samples t-tests, an ANOVA, and step-wise regression analysis procedures to answer the research questions regarding the challenges teachers face when working with military-connected students. The results of the study indicated that the number of years a teacher has been teaching influences their perceptions of challenges regarding military-connected students. In addition, teachers indicated that helping students catch up academically, supporting them emotionally, and family/parent issues are the top challenges when working with elementary military-connected students.

The purpose of this study is to ascertain the effectiveness of a reading program based on children's experiences, interests, and needs, in which the mechanics of reading are kept subordinate to meanings. This study will be delimited to Princeton Avenue Elementary School, Orlando, Florida; a sample of three grades in Princeton School to be selected for intensive study; reading in the total school program; one year for the investigation. / Typescript. / "August, 1957." / "Submitted to the Graduate Council of Florida State University in partial fulfillment of the requirements for the degree of Advanced Master in Education." / Advisor: Harris W. Dean, Professor Directing Study. / Includes bibliographical references.

Thesis (Ed. D.)--West Virginia University, 2003. / Title from document title page. Document formatted into pages; contains viii, 110 p. : ill. Vita. Includes abstract. Includes bibliographical references (p. 93-98).