Introduction to Reading Recovery Research

Reading Recovery is the world's most widely researched intervention for young children having extreme difficulty with early literacy learning. Reading Recovery has been examined by high-quality experimental and quasi-experimental studies, and by qualitative studies on various aspects. Reading Recovery's strong experimental research received high effectiveness ratings in all four domains from USDE's What Works Clearinghouse.

After nearly 30 years of research, more than 100 references to Reading Recovery appear in The Education Abstracts Index and Academic Search Premiere Index. Studies described in this section are grouped according to frequently asked questions.

Is Reading Recovery effective?

What is the evidence for children's continued progress after Reading Recovery?

Does Reading Recovery influence student's self-esteem?

What do research reviews say about Reading Recovery?

Is Reading Recovery cost effective?

Does Reading Recovery meet the criteria for scientifically based reading research? Also see 6 Studies and What Works Clearinghouse.

Research studies in this section of the website have been published in peer reviewed journals or are peer-reviewed conference presentations such as National Reading Conference (NRC) or American Educational Research Association (AERA). Content for this section was developed by the Research Committee of the North American Trainers Group, an organization that includes researchers and academics from more than 20 universities in the U.S. and Canada.

CALL FOR RESEARCH PROPOSALS