J. David Cooper, David Chard, and Nancy D. Kiger, in The Struggling Reader: Interventions That Work, offer educators an approach to reading instruction that focuses on prevention and intervention rather than advocating remediation. In the wake of No Child Left Behind and Reading First legislation, there is an expectation that classroom teachers are to identify potential reading problems before they become lifelong issues. The authors have offered a balance of proven and purposeful information from theory and practice to meet the needs for instruction and diagnostic assessment for children learning to read.
As stated in the Introduction, the three authors together have more than 100 years of experience teaching struggling readers using procedures that the authors have developed and tested as educational researchers. They have taught in all 50 states and in more than eight countries. Students in preschool, elementary school, middle school, Title 1, adult basic education, exceptional education, junior high school, high school, undergraduates, and graduate students have all been taught using the methods and approaches in this book. The authors have taught in rural, suburban, and urban settings that represent communities of affluence, poverty, and developing countries. In addition, the authors have worked with students whose first language is not English, whose lives are lived in fear of harm, and whose family members cannot or do not read and write, so they are well qualified to focus on how to work with struggling readers in any situation.
The book offers A Prevention-Intervention Framework for students who are struggling readers or who show signs of becoming struggling readers. This Framework provides an organized way to incorporate all the assessment tools and strategies for instruction to be used for struggling readers. There are five components to the Core Instruction part of the Framework that are to be used for planning, instruction, and intervention:
Other topics the book covers include areas in which struggling readers will most likely need specific instruction, such as oral language, phonemic awareness, word recognition, meaning vocabulary, reading fluency, comprehension, and writing as it pertains to struggling readers. Each topic begins with a case study of teachers and students; a definition for the topic; and examples and activities to support struggling readers as they learn the topic. These topics are also considered through the lens of the five part Framework. For example, the oral language presentation uses each of the five elements. Levels of ability are noted for primary and intermediate assessment. It also provides student work samples and example checklists, diagrams, and template forms used in the classroom.
The authors state that their purpose is to help educators reach students who struggle with reading and writing, students who do not thrive in a “regular” reading program that helps most other learners, students who are in danger of getting farther and farther behind other students as time goes on, students who can and do fall through the cracks of education each day, students who need to learn more than adequate yearly progress can offer just to catch up or for those students who are discouraged and just give up on learning. All of these goals are met in The Struggling Reader: Interventions That Work in clear and accessible language that all educators can understand and learn from. Beginning teachers as well as seasoned administrators may find this book to be informative and practical. This resource offers the essential knowledge of research-based instructional practices for intervention and prevention of reading difficulties. Their classroom tested framework and the examples presented that support the framework offer planning tools, assessments, and record-keeping templates that are very helpful in preventing reading difficulties and working with those students who are already struggling readers.
One final thought from the book is to “Keep Yourself Current” about best practices for teaching reading. The authors encourage educators to join professional organizations; to read professional journals, books, and periodicals; to attend workshops and classes; and find information on the Internet as well as through collaboration with colleagues. The Struggling Reader: Interventions That Work provides the current best of theory and practice for educators of all levels and with an organized and clear presentation of ideas to help teachers reach struggling readers in the classroom.
References
No Child Left Behind Act of 2001: An Act To close the achievement gap with accountability, flexibility, and choice, so that no child is left behind. Public Law 107-110. Retrieved April 15, 2006 from http://frwebgate.access.gpo.gov/cgi-bin/useftp.cgi?IPaddress=162.140.64.21&filename=publ110.107&directory=/diskc/wais/data/107_cong_public_laws.
United States. Department of Education (2004). Reading First Program. Retrieved April 15, 2006 from http://www.ed.gov/programs/readingfirst/index.html
Pages: 208 Price: $23.99 ISBN: 0-439-61659-X
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