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.
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