Teaching Reading: Effective Schools, Accomplished Teachers (Center for Improvement of Early Reading)

This unique book tells the story of a select group of schools and teachers who have managed to beat the odds in terms of improving elementary students reading achievement. Originating with the CIERA School Change Project directed by Barbara Taylor and David Pearson, it was subsequently expanded to include the work of other research teams doing similar work. It combines large scale studies of effective schools and teachers (Part I) with case studies of individual schools and teachers who have successfully transformed research findings into situation-specific strategies appropriate to their schools and classrooms (Parts II and III). The book's distinct contribution is showing that no matter how consistent the research findings on effective school and classroom practice, groups of teachers must improvise their own situation-specific programs and practices. In short, they must be able to create variations on a common theme. Key features of this outstanding new volume include: *Integration of research and cases--One cannot fully understand research-based general principles without knowing how they play themselves out in specific settings. Similarly, one cannot fully understand cases without seeing the commonalities across different schools and classrooms sharing similar goals. This book provides both perspectives. *Diverse cases--The schools and classrooms depicted in this book are urban, rural, and suburban; poor and middle class; and English-only and bilingual. Rather than telling readers how to beat the odds, it provides them with a wide variety of cases from which they can extrapolate to build their own customized teaching programs and practices. *Summarizing section--The final section contains a summary of research on effective schools and teachers and a concluding chapter by Gerry Duffy and Jim Hoffman in which they reflect on the book's content and possible directions for future research. The book is targeted to both in-service elementary teachers and literacy students in advanced college courses. This Work Looks At Large Scale Studies That Have Recently Examined Characteristics Of Effective Schools And Teachers, And Provides Case Studies Of Five Schools In Which Children Are Achieving At High Levels In Reading. It Also Deals With Case Studies Of Effective Teachers Of Reading. Effective Schools And Accomplished Teachers : Lessons About Primary-grade Reading Instruction In Low-income Schools / Barbara M. Taylor [and Others] -- Exemplary First-grade Teaching / Michael Pressley [and Others] -- High-performing, High-poverty, Urban Elementary Schools / Joseph F. Johnson, Jr. -- Literacy In Rural Vermont : Lessons From Schools Where Children Succeed / Jim Mosenthal [and Others] -- Effective Practices For Assessing Young Readers / Scott G. Paris, Alison H. Paris, And Robert D. Carpenter -- Sunnyside Elementary School, Mounds View, Minnesota / Barbara M. Taylor And Ceil Critchley -- Rocky Mountain Elementary School, Longmont, Colorado / Jackalyn Colt And Rebecca Mills -- Stevenson Elementary : Schoolwide Success / Sharon Walpole -- Scott Elementary School : Home Grown School Improvement In The Flesh / Glenda Breaux, Jennifer Danridge, And P. David Pearson -- Serna Elementary School / Martha A. Adler -- In Pursuit Of Academic Excellence : The Story Of Gladys Noon Spellman Elementary / Pamela A. Smith, Joseph E. Johnson, Jr., And Brent Jones. Highly Accomplished Primary Grade Teachers In Effective Schools / Barbara M. Taylor -- Case Study Of Exemplary Practice In Fourth Grade / Leslie Mandel Morrow [and Others] -- Scientific Literacy And Diverse Learners : Supporting The Acquisition Of Disciplinary Ways Of Knowing In Inclusion Classrooms / Carol Sue Englert And Kailonnie Dunsmore -- Bilingual Teachers Speak About The Literacy Instruction Of Bilingual Latino Students / Rosalinda Barrera And Robert T. Jiménez -- Research-supported Characteristics Of Teachers And Schools That Promote Reading Achievement / Barbara M. Taylor, Michael Pressley, And P. David Pearson -- Beating The Odds In Literacy Education : Not The Betting On But The Bettering Of Schools And Teachers? / Gerald G. Duffy And James V. Hoffman. Edited By Barbara M. Taylor, P. David Pearson. Includes Bibliographical References And Indexes. This unique book tells the story of a select group of schools and teachers who have managed to beat the odds in terms of improving elementary students reading achievement. Originating with the CIERA School Change Project directed by Barbara Taylor and David Pearson, it was subsequently expanded to include the work of other research teams doing similar work. It combines large scale studies of effective schools and teachers (Part I) with case studies of individual schools and teachers who have successfully transformed research findings into situation-specific strategies appropriate to their schools and classrooms (Parts II and III). The book's distinct contribution is showing that no matter how consistent the research findings on effective school and classroom practice, groups of teachers must improvise their own situation-specific programs and practices. In short, they must be able to create variations on a common theme. Key features of this outstanding new volume * Integration of research and cases --One cannot fully understand research-based general principles without knowing how they play themselves out in specific settings. Similarly, one cannot fully understand cases without seeing the commonalities across different schools and classrooms sharing similar goals. This book provides both perspectives. * Diverse cases --The schools and classrooms depicted in this book are urban, rural, and suburban; poor and middle class; and English-only and bilingual. Rather than telling readers how to beat the odds, it provides them with a wide variety of cases from which they can extrapolate to build their own customized teaching programs and practices. * Summarizing section --The final section contains a summary of research on effective schools and teachers and a concluding chapter by Gerry Duffy and Jim Hoffman in which they reflect on the book's content and possible directions for future research. The book is targeted to both in-service elementary teachers and literacy students in advanced college courses. Effective schools and accomplished teachers : lessons about primary-grade reading instruction in low-income schools -- Barbara M. Taylor ... [et al.] Exemplary first-grade teaching -- Michael Pressley ... [et al.] High-performing, high-poverty, urban elementary schools -- Joseph F. Johnson, Jr. Literacy in rural Vermont : lessons from schools where children succeed -- Jim Mosenthal ... [et al.] Effective practices for assessing young readers -- Scott G. Paris, Alison H. Paris, and Robert D. Carpenter Sunnyside Elementary School, Mounds View, Minnesota -- Barbara M. Taylor and Ceil Critchley Rocky Mountain Elementary School, Longmont, Colorado -- Jackalyn Colt and Rebecca Mills Stevenson Elementary : schoolwide success -- Sharon Walpole Scott Elementary School : home grown school improvement in the flesh -- Glenda Breaux, Jennifer Danridge, and P. David Pearson Serna Elementary School -- Martha A. Adler In pursuit of academic excellence : the story of Gladys Noon Spellman Elementary -- Pamela A. Smith, Joseph E. Johnson, Jr., and Brent Jones Highly accomplished primary grade teachers in effective schools -- Barbara M. Taylor Case study of exemplary practice in fourth grade -- Leslie Mandel Morrow ... [et al.] Scientific literacy and diverse learners : supporting the acquisition of disciplinary ways of knowing in inclusion classrooms -- Carol Sue Englert and KaiLonnie Dunsmore Bilingual teachers speak about the literacy instruction of bilingual Latino students -- Rosalinda Barrera and Robert T. Jiménez Research-supported characteristics of teachers and schools that promote reading achievement -- Barbara M. Taylor, Michael Pressley, and P. David Pearson Beating the odds in literacy education : not the "betting on" but the "bettering of" schools and teachers?-- Gerald G. Duffy and James V. Hoffman. This unique book tells the story of a select group of schools and teachers who have managed to beat the odds in terms of improving elementary students' reading achievement. Originating with the CIERA School Change Project directed by Barbara M. Taylor and P. David Pearson, it was subsequently expanded to include the work of other research teams doing similar work. It combines large scale studies of effective schools and teachers (Part I) with case studies of individual schools and teachers who have successfully transformed research findings into situation-specific strategies appropriate to their schools and classrooms (Parts II and III). The book's distinct contribution is showing that no matter how consistent the research findings on effective school and classroom practice, groups of teachers must improvise their own situation-specific programs and practices. In short they must be able to create variations on a common theme. This vol. explores reading practices in sch's where at-risk stud's beat the odds in learning to read. Some chapters take a broad view, compar. practices across sch's & classrooms, while others deal with the story of a single project over multiple sites.