Reading and Literacy

What It Is

The National Reading Panel has identified five skills that all children need in order to become good readers: (1) phonemic awareness, (2) phonics, (3) vocabulary (4) fluency; and (5) comprehension. Literacy, on the other hand, entails a bit more than just reading. It means students should be able to understand and create a variety of texts, be able to use the information, and express the meaning of what they have read in a variety of ways.

Why It Matters

Research indicates that if a child does not read well by the third grade, chances are he or she will never catch up. Reading is the basis of all other academics, and a child cannot be academically successful without strong reading skills. The National Research Council has noted that a student who is not a “modestly skilled reader” is unlikely to graduate from high school.

What We Do

SEDL works with schools and districts to provide literacy training for teachers across all grade levels and curriculum. We also provide intensive training for literacy coaches and are currently overseeing randomized controlled trials of several afterschool reading programs.