Date of Award

12-14-2024

Document Type

Thesis

Degree Name

Master of Arts in Education

Department

Education

Program

Educational Leadership

Capstone Instructor

Dr. Brian Boothe

Second Reader

Dr. Danielle C. Thompson

Keywords

READ Act, LETRS, professional development (PD), The Science of Reading, phonemic awareness, achievement gap, evidence-based reading strategies

Abstract

This paper examined research on equitable reading curricula and reading professional development to improve students in grades kindergarten through twelfth grade reading scores and levels taken from NAEP. The research analyzed were qualitative, quantitative, and mixed-methods. These research studies shared school interventions, reading data points, curricula being analyzed, phonemic awareness importance, and The Science of Reading implementation. The curricula, professional development, and evidence-based instruction work together to increase student phonemic awareness and reading abilities for all students on an equitable level. The three themes within the paper are phonemic awareness, professional development, curriculum and standards. The research suggested the importance of evidence-based reading strategies and curricula to improve student reading abilities and scores. Teacher and administrator professional development was supported by data to improve the instruction of reading to students. Professional development investigated were LETRS. The curriculum and standards investigated were McGraw Hill, Orton-Gillingham, Core5, Corrective Reading, and Common Core Standards. Phonemic awareness importance was investigated through student reading fluency and comprehension. Professional development, curriculum, and phonemic awareness research support the evidence-based Science of Reading to increase the closing of the student achievement gap.

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