Improving reading outcomes for students with or at risk for reading disabilities 

The Institute of Education Sciences (IES) has released a new synthesis of research on improving reading outcomes for students with or at risk for reading disabilities. The purpose of the review is to describe what has been learned specifically from IES-funded research grants. A total of 111 peer-reviewed journal articles and book chapters that were products of 48 research projects are examined. A few key findings, which are grouped into four domains, are as follows:

• Assessment: Screening all children's reading skills (i.e., universal screening) at the beginning of the school year, especially in the early grades, can be a valid and efficient process to identify children who are at risk for reading difficulties and disabilities.
• Basic cognitive and linguistic processes: Malleable linguistic processes, such as oral language skills and vocabulary, positively predict children's reading performance.
• Intervention: Language outcomes for many preschool children at risk for language delays can improve if they are provided extensive opportunities to hear and use complex oral language.
• Professional development: Developing teachers' specialized knowledge and supporting consistent long-term implementation of research-based instructional strategies can improve delivery of complex, evidence-based instruction and interventions.

Johns Hopkins University 

Research in Brief

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