Improving Literacy in America
Subtitle: Guidelines from Research (Current Perspectives in Psychology)
Publisher: Yale University Press
Published: May 10, 2005
Language: eng
Format: Hardcover
Number of pages: 240
ISBN-13: 9780300106459
Subjects: Education; Literacy; Education / Teaching; Literary Criticism; USA; Educational Policy & Reform; Educational Psychology; Education / General; American - General; Language arts (Primary); Psychological aspects; Social aspects; United States
First sentence: These headlines and others in newspapers and magazines throughout the country in recent years have trumpeted the continuing problems the United States is experiencing in educating all of its children.
Description: "An alarmingly high number of American students continue to lack proficiency in reading, math, and science. The various attempts to address this problem have all too often resulted in "silver bullet" solutions such as reducing class size or implementing voucher programs. But as the authors of this book show, improving literacy also requires an understanding of complex and interrelated social issues that shape a child's learning. More than twenty years of research demonstrate that literacy success is determined by a combination of sociocultural forces including parenting, preschool, classroom instruction, and other factors that have a direct impact on a child's development."

"Here, Frederick J. Morrison, Heather J. Bachman, and Carol McDonald Connor present the most up-to-date research on the diverse factors that relate to a child's literacy development from preschool through early elementary school. Urging greater emphasis on the immediate sources of influence on children, the authors warn against simple, single solutions that ignore other pivotal aspects of the problem. In a concluding chapter, the authors propose seven specific recommendations for improving literacy - recommendations that can make a real difference in American education."--Jacket.