Researchers have known for several years that when a child is reading below proficiency by the end of third grade, it is likely the child will continue to struggle learning to read through the child’s academic career (Dickinson & Porche, 2011; Wasik & Hindman, 2011). Yet, the problem of children falling below third grade reading proficiency continues. If teaching a child to read is a moral purpose, and it is essential for a child to read proficiently by the end of third grade, then literacy instruction in kindergarten through third grade is pivotal. In this case study, the researcher sought to illustrate the beliefs and literacy teaching practices of teacher participants within one public school district that provided training in Balanced Literacy components and required teachers to implement Balanced Literacy. Specific research questions explored teacher perceptions of self-efficacy and preparedness to implement Balanced Literacy. A purposive convenience sample was used to identify Kindergarten, Grade 1, and Grade 2 teachers within the school district who taught literacy to their students in the 2016-2017, 2017-2018 and 2018-2019 school years. Individual interviews and classroom observations were transcribed and coded by discrete idea relative the study’s conceptual and theoretical frameworks: Fountas and Pinnell’s (1996) Balanced Literacy framework and Bandura’s (1997) sources of self-efficacy theories. Findings indicated teacher self-efficacy varied across Balanced Literacy components. Teachers felt most prepared to teach Word Study. Teachers benefited from modeling by the Reading Specialist, felt encouraged by feedback, and desired support in differentiating instruction. Word Study instruction had high alignment to the Balanced Literacy Model provided by the school district, and Guided Reading and Writing Workshop had low alignment. These findings validate the support the school district provides for teachers and directs school leaders in developing professional development needs to support stronger reading teachers.

Students who struggle to read at an early age are likely to continue struggling for not only the rest of their schooling, but the rest of their lives. Schools need to begin adopting research-based reading programs and measuring their effectiveness formatively throughout the school year. Research suggests that effective reading programs need to include phonics, phonemic awareness, fluency, vocabulary and comprehension. During the 2018-2019 school year, Wilson Fundations was implemented in K-2 at Summit Academy, a high-poverty Pre-K-8th grade school in Flat Rock, MI. The purpose was to uncover the potential effects of using Wilson Fundations as a reading program, while focusing on fidelity of implementation and the change in student achievement while the Wilson Fundations program was in place. To do so, I examined the teachers’ fidelity of implementation, student performance on Wilson Fundations unit tests, and I also used statistical analyses to compare the growth of student achievement on NWEA MAP from Fall 2018 and Winter 2019 to Fall 2017 to Winter 2018. Previous research assessed the impact of Wilson Fundations on special populations, such as special education and students needing tiered reading intervention, but failed to measure the effectiveness of Wilson Fundations on student achievement across entire grade levels as a Tier 1 reading program. The results in this study suggest that student achievement in reading across all grade levels in K-2 experienced a significant positive change while the Wilson Fundations program was being implemented (p < 0.05). Based on the observations and RIT growth percentages on the NWEA MAP, the classrooms with the highest fidelity of implementation percentage also demonstrated the highest growth for their students.

Educational success and attainment, and individual sustainability depend on reading ability. School leaders, especially at the elementary and primary level, have great responsibility ensuring student success in learning to read. In this era of standards-based curriculum and high stakes testing and accountability, school leaders must be certain the programs employed to grow student reading ability are successful. This program evaluation analyzes the effects implementing a scripted, direct instruction reading program has had at a rural, primary school. Specifically, this study investigated the correlation between the Scholastic Reading Inventory and the Virginia Third Grade Reading Standards of Learning Assessment, analyzed the extent student achievement changed on the two assessments from implementing the Reading Mastery initiative, and determined the extent the practice of regrouping students for instructional alignment was utilized and the effect it had on student achievement. Findings indicate a moderate correlation between the Scholastic Reading Inventory and the Third Grade Reading Standards of Learning Assessment, a significant increase in Lexile when comparing beginning and end of year scores, a significant decline in Standards of Learning Assessment scores when comparing three years pre-Reading Mastery implementation to three years post implementation, and found that students remaining in their original program placement demonstrated greater Lexile and grade level equivalency growth than students regrouped to a lower level or accelerated. If program goals, increasing reading ability and increasing Standards of Learning pass rates are to be obtained, Reading Mastery initiative implementation will require modifications. Recommendations for policy, practice, and future studies are included.

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This non-experimental correlational study assessed the effectiveness of a model of teacher preparation that infuses a focus on teaching English learners, the One-Plus model, by examining pre-service teachers' (PST) effectiveness in narrowing English learner achievement gaps during their final student teaching experience. The study spanned five semesters of internship data, exploring how each semester's PST effectiveness changed over time. This study utilized teacher work sample data that interns collected and submitted to the institutional effectiveness division of the college, with an n of 20,809 K-12 students who attended the 768 One-Plus PSTs' classes during their semester-long internship. The results showed that there remained a statistically significant achievement gap between student groups based on their sociodemographic characteristics, and the biggest gap was between EL and non-EL students. Students had statistically significantly higher posttest scores compared to the pretest scores, and the rate of change in test scores was much steeper in historically low-achieving students than their counterparts. There was an approximately 50% decrease in EL's achievement gap in the posttest model compared to the pretest. Likewise, the gaps between low-SES and high-SES students, students with exceptionalities and students without exceptionalities, Black and White Students, and Hispanic and White students were reduced by approximately 40%, 38%, 48%, and 26%, respectively. Finally, there was a statistically significant linear growth in students' posttest scores over a period of five semesters.

According to national assessments of student performance, struggling readers in secondary grades continue to struggle, specifically in the areas of vocabulary development and reading comprehension. As a result, the identified students struggle with content area learning. It is important to examine content area teachers' perspectives and instructional needs about the role of reading/literacy in their content area. This study uses a correlational research design, consisting primarily of collection and analysis of inventory data, collected from 74 secondary English Language Arts (ELA) and Social Studies teachers in grades 6-12. The use of correlational design was selected to examine possible relationships between perceptions of ease of use, usefulness, and attitude towards literacy instruction and implementation of effective literacy practices. This study examines secondary English Language Arts (ELA) and Social Studies teachers' perceptions and implementation of effective literacy instruction practices, in grades 6-12, through the analysis of correlational data, collected through an inventory related to this topic. Using multiple regression analysis of data, results of this study found a significant relationship between ease of use and teacher attitude, as well as teacher attitude and implementation of literacy instructional practices associated with positive effects in student achievement. This study also shows the significance of ease of use when implementing instructional practices in the classroom, as well as examines differences related to teacher education, preparation, and content area. The results of this study have the potential to (a) inform ELA and Social Studies teachers in grades 6-12, school administrators, related department heads, and school district leaders with recommendations for professional development and (b) identify areas for future research. The results of this study could provide much needed insight into the instructional decision making of secondary content area teachers, specifically in the area of literacy instruction within the ELA and Social Studies content area classrooms.

Over the past decade, the population of students learning English as a second language in the United States has grown astronomically. Presently, the number of English learners (ELs) across the country has reached 4.8 million and is projected to rise in the coming years. Because of this steadily increasing metric, the demand for effective reading instruction as a critical component of overall academic achievement and learning success is crucial. As such, there is a great need for schools to address the language, literacy, and academic needs of ELs in mainstream classrooms. To address this concern, major responsibilities fall on teachers who are leaders at the forefront of instruction. As reading is a challenging task for ELs, teachers must be adequately prepared in order to promote content and language development in various ways. This research investigated teachers candidates' use of read-aloud strategies and explored: (1) experiences with supporting reading comprehension for ELs at various levels of proficiency and (2) perceptions about coaching and feedback sessions as a result of preparation through MELTS modules. Data was gathered from an initial questionnaire, semi-structured interviews, coaching session observation protocols, skill practice reflections, activity plans, and final assessment/evaluation rubrics. A qualitative phenomenological approach was adopted in order to develop an in-depth understanding of participants' perceptions about the MELTS preparation process and their experiences with teaching elementary EL students and avatars. Three main themes emerged from the data analysis: Teaching and Learning Strategies for ELs Through Read-Aloud Practices; The Importance of Guidance and Feedback in Teacher Preparation Programs; Difficulties and Challenges Teaching ELs at Different Proficiency Levels. Results showed the positive impact of well prepared teachers on the reading proficiency levels of ELs during instruction. It also revealed the significant role of guidance and feedback in the learning process. Overall, this research study underscores a substantial need for mentoring and collaboration as an important component in preparing teachers to address the learning needs of second language learners as they work towards achieving academic success. The study offered several recommendations regarding practical EL teaching strategies that emerged from the findings, and pedagogical implications were provided for future implementation in second language classrooms.

The purpose of this descriptive study is to characterize the natural context of routine storybook reading in an inclusive early learning environment by looking at educator variables and child language status. Early childhood researchers and scholars have well documented the importance of oral language development in young children for future reading and academic success. Evidence-based research literature advocates engaging young children in high quality interactive reading experiences, such as Dialogic Reading (Whitehurst, 2005), as effective means to facilitate young children's oral language development and emergent literacy acquisition. By understanding the features of natural story-time routines, researchers, speech-language pathologists, and early childhood administrators can better isolate the variables and develop models of educating early childhood practitioners in high quality professional learning programs for learning Dialogic Reading strategies. Data are presented for four early childhood educators in an inclusive early learning center and thirty-four young children, ranging in age from three- to five-years, populated naturally across their classrooms. Data were collected through demographic questionnaires, video-recorded observations of routine story-time activities, the Concerns-Based Adoption Model (CBAM) Stages of Concern Questionnaire (S0CQ) (Hall & Hord, 2019), and language assessment measures. Study results provide a unique description of the participating educators' storybook reading behaviors and their attitudes towards adopting Dialogic Reading as a new instructional practice, along with the quantified oral language needs of the children in their preschool classes. Results from this descriptive study provide an important contribution to researchers and practitioners to inform development of individualized high-quality professional learning programs related to Dialogic Reading (Whitehurst, 2005) as an instructional interactive storybook reading practice.

Academic writing is central to doctoral growth. The purpose of this study was to better understand the similarities and differences between first-year native- and nonnative-speaking doctoral students in terms of academic writing and writer development. Data were collected for two semesters, including observational notes, transcribed audio diaries and interviews, and writing samples from three first-year doctoral students from an applied field of social science. Ethnographic data analysis described how text production and composing processes changed over the first year in relation to social and cultural factors. The first year of the doctoral program was critical to their growth as writers and emerging researchers. With diverse cultural, linguistic, and educational backgrounds, all three participants completed similar doctoral-level academic writing tasks with different levels of confidence, yet all achieved reasonable levels of success as demonstrated by grades and overall positive feedback. Their writing processes made evident both similarities and differences in the difficulties encountered and the strategies used to overcome those difficulties. By the end of the first year, all participants had established preferred writing habits and processes; however, text production and composing processes varied depending on the genres of writing and course contexts. In addition, their writing experiences and development were shaped by sociocultural factors: settling into the city and program, competing responsibilities, interactions within the doctoral program, and academic acculturation. Overall, the commonalities and differences observed in the participants' developmental trajectory as academic writers were not determined by their native or nonnative status, but by participants' individual differences. Native-nonnative differences existed but were relatively trivial, suggesting that the two sub-populations at the doctoral level may share more similarities than differences. Native or nonnative status did not automatically equate to advantages or disadvantages in the current research context. The study provided theoretical and practical insights into first-year doctoral students' shared experiences and individual challenges as native and nonnative writers, generating implications for doctoral-level student support services and writing pedagogy. The findings demonstrated that only by examining academic text in relation to the context will the researcher gain clarity about the wide range of factors that play into the writer's writing process and product. Methodologically, the study offered recommendations for future studies using a longitudinal and ethnographic approach in examining academic writing development and highlighted the audio diary as a data collection method.