Date of Award
2003
Document Type
Dissertation
Degree Name
Doctor of Education
Department
Programs for Higher Education
Advisor
Karen Kimball
Committee Member
Lucille Beisner
Committee Member
Barbara Packer
Keywords
academic continuity, African American, applied dissertation, content area reading, core subjects, critical reading, critical-thinking skills, curriculum, data analysis, Hispanic, inference skills, inferences, interventions, Iowa Test of Basic Skills, low reading scores, low socioeconomic status, math, mobility rate, parental support, poverty, professional development, reading initiative program, reading instruction, reading process, reading skills, reading strategies, reading scores, reading skills, science, school curriculum, social studies, students, teacher training, teachers, Von Humboldt School, writing
Abstract
This applied dissertation was designed to provide a better understanding of the reasons why Von Humboldt School has had a history of low reading scores. The school has a high mobility rate, which has made it difficult for any academic continuity. The students at the school are at a 94% poverty level with 64% Hispanic, 34% African American, and 2% Caucasian. The low-socioeconomic status of the students partially contributes to the low reading scores. There are other factors as well. The training that teachers had received in teaching reading also attributed to the low scores. Not enough time spent on reading and poor parental support seemed to be other major contributors to the problem.
The writer developed a reading initiative program that integrated reading strategies and skills into the school curriculum. The time spent on teaching reading was increased substantially. The teachers taught the reading skills while teaching all core subjects such as math, science, and social studies. Also, there was more professional development training given to the teachers. The parents also received information on how to help their students become successful readers.
Reading became the major focus of the school. Writing was integrated into the reading process as well. No subject was taught in isolation. Critical-thinking skills and inference skills became the major focus of all subjects presented to students.
An analysis of Iowa Test of Basic Skills data revealed a strong improvement in the reading scores. The interventions used to improve reading scores had positive effects on the 3rd- and 8th-grade students who were the target group of study. This reading program will now be implemented in the entire Von Humboldt School.