Research – Reading Achievement
Double Jeopardy: How Third Grade Reading Skills and Poverty Influence High School Graduation (Updated March 2012)
A national study released in April 2011 shows that students who do not read proficiently by third grade are four times more likely to leave high school without a diploma than proficient readers. Poverty compounds the problem. A March 2012 update looks beyond family income to explore the effect of living in concentrated poverty.
PreK-Grade 3: Which Reading and Literacy Practices Matter Most?
The Education Commission of the States released a compilation of research studies that address reading and literacy in grades PreK through third grade.
Children’s Access to Print Material and Education-Related Outcomes
Children from poorer families have fewer books in their homes or available to them in school and classroom libraries, and they tend to live farther from public libraries than middle-and upper-income children, concludes this literature review, commissioned by Reading is Fundamental. Having access to fewer books and other reading materials, the review by The Learning Point Associates found, contributes to the lower academic performance of low-income children as compared to their more-affluent peers.
The Effectiveness of a Program to Accelerate Vocabulary Development in Kindergarten (VOCAB)
Children from disadvantaged backgrounds often have not learned the vocabulary that is required to learn to read and comprehend academic text. This study, prepared by the National Center for Education Evaluation and Regional Assistance with the Southern Regional Educational Laboratory, gauges the effectiveness of interventions for building vocabulary skills among kindergarten students.
Improving Reading Comprehension in Kindergarten Through Third Grade
Students who read with understanding at an early age gain access to a broader range of texts, knowledge, and educational opportunities, making early reading comprehension instruction particularly critical. This guide from the What Works Clearinghouse recommends five specific steps that teachers, reading coaches, and principals can take to successfully improve reading comprehension for young readers.
Closing the Achievement Gap: Early Reading Success and Connecticut’s Economic Future
The state report analyzes demographic and achievement data and offers recommendations for eliminating the achievement gap and getting more children to read proficiently by the end of third grade.
The National Assessment of Educational Progress
The so-called Nation’s Report Card includes extensive data on student achievement in reading for national, state, and urban district samples. The most recent results are from 2009, however the data tools on the NAEP website allow for comparisons across samples and from previous years.
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