Examining the Impact and Sustainability of Early Reading First On the Reading Performance of Head Start Graduates: Kindergarten Through Third Grade
Document Type
Dissertation
Degree Name
Doctor of Education (Ed.D)
Department
Educational Leadership
Date of Award
Summer 2012
Abstract
Early Reading First (ERF) is a federal initiative that was created in 2002 to ensure that young children enter kindergarten with the necessary language, cognitive, and early reading skills to prevent reading difficulties and ensure school success. The tenets of ERF are teacher professional development, high quality language and print rich environments, and the teaching of emergent instruction of emergent literacy skills based on scientifically based reading research. A quasi-experimental design was used to investigate the impact and sustainability of Early Reading First intervention on the language and emergent literacy development of Head Start graduates. A total number of 235 children are represented in the study; 109 children in the ERF treatment group and 126 children in the control group. The control group was carefully matched, according to selected variables, and included those who did not receive ERF services. Archived data that is electronically stored in the district's network was accessed by the district curriculum director and masked to include, student identification numbers, assessment scores, date of birth, ethnicity, gender, home language, and 'at risk' status. The data was disseminated to the researcher for analysis. Student and family names were not available to the researcher. Archived post data were collected and analyzed for both the target and control groups as follows: kindergarten, first and second grade, end of the year, Texas Primary Reading Inventory (TPRI)/ El Inventario de Lectura en Espanol de Tejas (Tejas LEE) early reading assessment scores; and third grade standardized Texas Assessment of Knowledge and Skills (TAKS) reading scores. Additional qualitative data was generated from a focus group interview of third grade teachers who administered the TAKS reading exam.
Advisor
David Brown
Subject Categories
Education | Educational Leadership
Recommended Citation
Huffman, Jana Michelle, "Examining the Impact and Sustainability of Early Reading First On the Reading Performance of Head Start Graduates: Kindergarten Through Third Grade" (2012). Electronic Theses & Dissertations. 173.
https://digitalcommons.tamuc.edu/etd/173
