State Literacy Programs Database - Fifty-state comparison information on state-supported literacy efforts....

Summary of State Policies To Improve Student Reading MS Word - A detailed state-by-state summary of activities undertaken by policymakers to address student reading. The summaries include legislation, state board of education actions and other state initiatives (Education Commission of the States, June 2001)....

Common State Strategies To Improve Student Reading - ECS identifies the seven most common state strategies to improve student reading, along with more specific policy examples. The common strategies include (1) preventing and intervening with reading difficulties; (2) imposing consequences for students who do not meet reading standards; (3) promoting or mandating particular reading approaches or programs; (4) providing additional or better data; (5) providing teachers with skills and knowledge; (6) setting standards, developing reading plans; and (7) assessing readiness for school. (Education Commission of the States, June 2001)...

State Policies Concerning the Phonics/Whole-Language Dilemma MS Word - Out of concern for students' perceived poor reading skills, lawmakers are examining the value of various methodologies of teaching reading, among them the phonetics-based and the "whole-language" approaches. Detailed here are some different state approaches. (Education Commission of the States, August 1997)...

Reading First: Lessons from Successful State Reading Initiatives - States were working to improve reading performance well before the passage of the No Child Left Behind Act, and these efforts produced a number of lessons about successful program design and implementation. This report shares some of these lessons about what works and what does not as states proceed to improve elementary reading instruction. (David Denton, Southern Regional Education Board, March 2003)...

Lagging Literacy MS Word - This Stateline article describes the new intiatives states have undertaken, and the progress they've made, to improve reading achievement for all students. Many states have passed legislation that mandate improved reading scores in all schools, as well as requiring teacher education programs to provide coursework in teaching reading. (Kathy Christie, Stateline, June 28, 2001)...

Exploring High and Improving Reading Achievement in Connecticut - The study sponsored by the National Education Goals Panel explores why Connecticut had the highest reading achievement scores on the 1998 National Assessment of Educational Progress (NAEP) exam and is the most improved state in reading scores since 1992. In addition, the case study examines why white, black and Hispanic students in Connecticut all performed better than their counterparts in other states. The author identifies several district and school-level practices, as well as state policies associated with the reading accomplishments. (Joan Boykoff Baron, National Education Goals Panel, October 1999)...

Focus on Teacher Education in Reading - A summary of actions by Southern Regional Education Board (SREB) states to improve teacher preparation in reading. Some states, for example, are increasing the number and rigor of reading methods courses required by teacher candidates. States highlighted in this publication include Alabama, Georgia, Louisiana, Maryland, Mississippi, North Carolina, Tennessee and Texas. (SREB, September 1999)....

Unlocking the Future: Early Literacy - Profiles of reading initiatives and policies are provided for Arkansas, Louisiana, New Mexico, Oklahoma and Texas in the article "Reading Across the Region." The in-depth newsletter also includes articles on the Southwest Educational Development Laboratory's (SEDL) Reading Coherence Initiative, a reading program for bilingual students, SEDL's regional reading network and resources for improving children's ability to read (SEDLetter, vol XI, no. 1, March 1999)....

States Committed to Standards Reform Reap NAEP Gains - An overview of the 1998 National Assessment of Educational Progress (NAEP) reading results, including trends since the first test was administered in 1992. In addition, the article discusses various reading instructional methods employed by states, in particular, California's recent emphasis on phonics (Education Week, March 1999)....