Issues in Brief

One-to-One Instruction
In these times of tight funding and increased demand for academic results, educators increasingly turn to research to discover best practices for student achievement. A continuing question in the field of beginning reading is whether small-group instruction can be as effective as one-to-one in preventing reading failure. This paper reviews research on this question and focuses specifically on Reading Recovery, a beginning reading intervention that relies exclusively on individualized one-to-one instruction for success. Scientific evidence indicates that individualized instruction is more effective than small-group instruction.

Response to Intervention (RTI)
Reading Recovery can play an important role in a school’s implementation of the 2004 Individuals with Disabilities Education Improvement Act (IDEIA, IDEA). It is a compelling option for schools that are designing response to intervention (RTI) models to meet the needs of struggling readers and writers.

For information about how Reading Recovery fits into an RTI model, see “Reading Recovery and IDEA Legislation: Early Intervening Services (EIS) and Response to Intervention (RTI).”

English Language Learners
Reading Recovery serves approximately 16,000 English language learners (ELLs) in the United States each year, about 15% of all Reading Recovery students. An investment in both Descubriendo la Lectura (the Spanish reconstruction of Reading Recovery) and Reading Recovery ensures commitment to all children, including those who enter school speaking a language other than English.

Closing the Gap
With the growing diversity in America’s population, the achievement gap among various groups of children is gaining national attention. Reading Recovery reduces and in some cases closes the achievement gap between low and average achievers, English language learners (ELLs) and native English speakers, lower- and higher-family income, and various racial and ethnic groups.