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An evidence-based model for early-grade reading programmes

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Abstract

This article proposes a model for design of early-grade reading programmes that is based on research and the implementation of research findings. The model has three components: (1) schools should provide instruction in a language their students speak and understand; (2) teachers should employ instruction that is consistent with the current evidence-based theory of how children acquire and improve reading skills; and (3) students should spend sufficient time on task in direct instruction and reading practice to make meaningful progress. For each component, the article describes the ways in which reading programmes are trying to implement that concept and the evidence that supports those approaches. The article concludes with ways this programme model could inform policy and be improved by further research.

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Authors and Affiliations

  1. Center for International Education, University of Massachusetts at Amherst, 285 Hills House South, Amherst, MA, 01003, USA

    John P. Comings

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  1. John P. Comings
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Correspondence to John P. Comings.

Additional information

The language of instruction section of this article draws on a report written for the American Institutes for Research with Cristine Smith, an associate professor at the Center for International Education at the University of Massachusetts at Amherst, and Rebecca Stone, a literacy specialist at the American Institutes for Research. The instructional design section draws on a report written for the Education Development Center with Amy Crosson, now a research associate at the Learning Research and Development Center at the University of Pittsburgh.

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Comings, J.P. An evidence-based model for early-grade reading programmes. Prospects 45, 167–180 (2015). https://doi.org/10.1007/s11125-014-9335-9

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  • DOI: https://doi.org/10.1007/s11125-014-9335-9

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