What Is the Effect of Reading Recovery on the Reading Achievement of At-Risk Students?

A study examined the effectiveness of the Reading Recovery program. Subjects were 60 third-grade students (100% minority students) from the midwest who came from low and middle-to-low socioeconomic status. Half of the students received Reading Recovery in first grade, half did not. Comparison of Iowa Tests of Basic Skills scores indicated no statistically significant differences between the two groups of students. Findings suggest that gains in reading made by the Reading Recovery students were maintained in the third grade. A list of recommendations includes the following: Reading Recovery should continue to instruct at-risk children; teachers of low-achieving students should raise their standards and level of expectation for all students; and teachers should encourage and praise all children in their effort to make reading an enjoyable and rewarding experience. Recommendations for further research include: a large sample/population; experimental study; and improved research which includes random sampling. (Contains 14 references and a table of data.) (RS)