Research
“Literacy is a fundamental human right. It is an instrument of empowerment to improve one’s health, one’s income, and one’s relationship with the world.”
- UNESCO
The Science of Reading is “a vast, interdisciplinary body of scientifically-based research about reading” that serves as a framework for how to develop proficient readers and writers (The Reading League). In 2000, the National Reading Panel Report identified "the big five" essential components of effective reading instruction: phonemic awareness, phonics, oral reading fluency, vocabulary, and comprehension. Scarborough's Reading Rope is a visual representation of how these multiple strands work together and lead to skilled reading.
The word recognition strand of the reading rope, often referred to as foundational skills, is taught in grades K-2, whereas language comprehension, such as vocabulary and knowledge-building, is much more complex and develops over a reader’s lifetime. While some students learn how to read through broad instruction, explicit and systematic instruction is necessary for most. Research shows that almost all students are capable of learning to read when they receive research-based instruction.
Education Advisory Board. Narrowing the Third-Grade Reading Gap - Embracing the Science of Reading. pg. 7.
Highlighted Research
Literacy leaders are learning, sharing, and acting on literacy research and evidence-based instructional practices to ensure all students become strong readers.
Three resources helping to guide the work:
Research Recap: Early Reading Accelerators: This resource from Student Achievement Partners highlights the research for early literacy as well as the crucial content necessary for proficient reading.
Foundational Skills to Support Reading Comprehension: This guide provides education practitioners with four concrete, research-backed recommendations for implementing foundational skills reading instruction that will positively impact students' reading growth.
Science of Reading Comprehension: This article from The Reading Teacher, written by Nell Duke, Alessandra Ward, and P. David Pearson, summarizes the research on reading comprehension and shares key elements for effective reading comprehension development.
Here is a sampling of readings leaders have explored.
Use the search menu below to access research by categories.
Speech to Print: Language Essentials for Teachers
This is a textbook on explicit literacy instruction that incorporates recent research and expanded guidance for educators to teach structured literacy effectively to K-12 students.
Prioritizing Dual Language Learner's Language Comprehension Development to Support Later Reading Achievement
This research article from Handbook on the Science of Early Literacy focuses on bilingual students (Dual Language Learners/DLLs) and emphasizes that supporting DLLs in building well-developed word-reading skills and sustained language comprehension can help lay the foundation for reading achievement.
Building Content Knowledge to Boost Comprehension in the Primary Grades
This review examined research trials in K-2 settings, as well as a preliminary study testing a content-centered ELA curriculum, to understand the impacts of building content knowledge in ELA instruction on reading & linguistic comprehension. Early studies suggest building content knowledge has positive effects on language comprehension, but additional research is needed to further substaintiate this approach to build reading comprehenshion explicity through knowledge building.
Making Personal Connections to Words to Increase Early Childhood Vocabulary Learning
A study of 30 core kindergarten teachers implementing Tier 1 instruction with their 215 students over multiple years. Using the personal connections strategy, which are teacher-initiated prompts that help students connect their experiences to the learning of new words, can support knowledge-building conversations around words and can be combined with other evidence-based vocabulary learning practices.
Advancing Our Students' Language and Literacy: The Challenge of Complex Texts
This article presents research that supports explicit foundational skills instruction, highlighting its significance for students' reading development. It offers insights into evidence-based teaching practices and program components to improve early reading experiences through informed classroom instruction, material selection/design, and professional learning.
How to Reach Older Struggling Readers
This post discusses addressesing the challenge of supporting struggling older readers by dispelling misconceptions about phonics instruction. The article emphasizes the importance of implementing strategies like multisyllabic word reading and structural analysis to help older students improve their reading skills. It calls for a paradigm shift in reading instruction to ensure equitable access to effective interventions for students of all ages and backgrounds.