The Study
P. David Pearson, Hannah Distinguished Professor of Education and co-director of the Center for the Improvement of Early Reading Achievement (CIERA), and his colleagues at the center, Elfrieda Hiebert, Barbara Taylor, Virginia Richardson, and Scott Paris, put together a comprehensive summary of research on improving children's reading achievement. Every Child A Reader: Applying Reading Research in the Classroom provides teachers with practical suggestions and references to help them learn more about early reading achievement.

The Findings
There is a wealth of research on the learning and teaching of early reading that has been amassed over the past 30 years. Unfortunately, many of the documents are not easily accessible to primary- grade teachers. Every Child A Reader seeks to fill the void. It is broken down into eight topic areas that present a comprehensive summary of the knowledge base that can make the goal of independent third-grade reading a reality for many more American children. It is written in clear, concise language. The topic are: Oral Language and Reading, Concepts of Print, Letter Naming and Phonemic Awareness, Phonics and Word Recognition Accuracy, High-Frequency Words and Fluency, Strategic Comprehension, Writing and Reading, Engagement and Interest in Reading, and School-wide Reading Programs. Each topic area discussion includes practices that can easily be incorporated in any classroom, along with vital references to help teachers learn more about the subject matter.

What It Means to You
There is substantial research on early reading and Every Child A Reader summarizes the best of that literature in a way that teachers can use it to make reading by the end of third grade a reality for children.

More Information
You can request a copy of Every Child A Reader through the center's Web site or by calling (734) 647-6940.

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