Date of Award
2003
Document Type
Dissertation
Degree Name
Doctor of Education
Department
Programs for Higher Education
Advisor
James Ann Lynch
Committee Member
Anne W. Joslin
Committee Member
Barbara Packer
Keywords
community partners, elementary school students, extended learning program, fourth grade students, Georgia, parent surveys, power writing, Project LEAP Forward, reading ability, reading achievement, reading improvement, reading instruction, reading practice, reading skills, reading strategies, rural schools, STAR reading test, student surveys, summer sessions, teacher surveys, teamwork, goal setting, structured learning intervention, student achievement, teacher observations, writing instruction
Abstract
A group of students in 4th grade were identified as having difficulty obtaining the necessary skills to become good readers. Based on teacher observations and feedback, these students did not receive enough reading practice during the school day. The purpose of this applied dissertation was to study the effects of an extended learning program to improve reading achievement of 4th graders in an elementary school in rural Georgia. The school population was approximately 389.
The writer developed Project LEAP Forward to allow students the opportunity to improve reading skills through a structured, extended learning program. The program included a summer session and sessions that occurred after school 2 days a week. The curriculum consisted of 1 hour of direct reading instruction, 1 hour of the practice of reading, and 1 hour of power writing. The program centered on the following themes: Teamwork, Community Partners, Organizing for Success, and Setting Goals during the summer session only. The intervention strategies involved students, teachers, parents, and community partners.
The participants' reading skills improved as measured by the STAR reading test. Surveys to parents, students, and teachers were conducted at the end of the program. The results indicated that the program had a positive impact on reading.