Study Of Teacher Preparation In Early Reading Instruction

Contractor: Optimal Solutions Group, AIR

Background/Research Questions:

The No Child Left Behind Act (NCLB) of 2001 created the Reading First program to help ensure that all students can read at or above grade level by the end of third grade. The program targets low-income, low-performing schools and was funded at $393 million in FY 2008.

Currently, there is no national study that has examined the extent to which new teachers are prepared to teach the essential components of reading instruction promoted by the Reading First program. The Reading First legislation required "a measurement of how well students preparing to enter the teaching profession are prepared to teach the essential components of reading instruction." This study will examine:

• To what extent does the content of teacher education programs focus on the essential components of early reading instruction?
• To what extent are graduating pre-service teachers knowledgeable about the essential components of early reading instruction?

Design:

The study collected information in spring 2007 from a sample of 3,000 pre-service teachers in a nationally representative sample of 100 institutions. The study includes a pre-service teacher survey regarding the content of their training programs as well as an assessment of pre-service teacher knowledge about the essential components of reading instruction.

Duration: 3 1/2 years (August 25, 2005 – March 27, 2009).

Current Status: The report was submitted to IES peer review in February 2009.