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The Reading Connection: A Leadership Initiative Designed To Change The Delivery Of Educational Services To At-Risk Children, Gary Compton

Dissertations

For many young children, the process of learning to read in school is cumbersome and extremely difficult. As a result, remedial or compensatory services are provided to these students. Once these at-risk students are targeted for remedial services, generally through the Chapter 1 program (Elementary and Secondary Education Act, 1965), they receive small group reading instruction from a specifically trained professional teacher. A problem occurs when these children, generally the poorest readers in their class, do not make significant gains when compared to their age-appropriate peers.

In the winter of 1988, a collaborative project between Western Michigan University and the …