Take Action for Effective Reading Instruction
A Checklist for Parents and Guardians

Would you like to get more involved in your child’s reading instruction? Here are some steps you can take to ensure he or she is receiving a comprehensive program of instruction that emphasizes phonics, reading fluency, vocabulary development and comprehension.

• Develop an alliance with the teacher. Being personally critical of a teacher will create a barrier to effective communication. Maintaining a pleasant demeanor when you’re talking with teachers is the best way to create productive dialogue, through which you give and share important information about your child and the way he or she is being taught. Also remember that the teacher may not be the one to “blame” for a poor reading program. Many teachers are following instructional directives set by others, and only have limited control over they approach they use.
  
  
• Ask the right questions. Once you’ve established a genuinely cooperative relationship with your child’s teacher, you should ask several questions to determine whether or not your child is receiving effective instruction. Here are examples of the questions you should ask, and the answers that will indicate the program is on the right track:
  
  
  Q. Who decides how you teach reading?
  
  A. The right answer should be that teachers work collaboratively with the principal and school district staff to ensure that the school uses research-based instruction that emphasizes phonics and has measurable ways to ensure students are developing fluency, vocabulary and solid comprehension skills. You should also hear that the school’s principal is well-informed regarding research-based reading instruction, and is serving as an instructional leader to ensure the right approaches are used. The teacher should know exactly what you mean when you ask about “whole-language” and should be able to assure you that your child is receiving research-based reading instruction.
  
  Q. How do you monitor the progress of individual students?
  
  A. There are several components to the right answer to this question. All students should be expected to learn to read at grade level or beyond. All students should also be required to read-aloud to demonstrate their growing mastery. Students should be required to read books and stories and demonstrate that they comprehend what they have read.
  
  Students should be regularly monitored through both classroom and homework assignments that involve reading. They should also be frequently quizzed.
  
  Teachers — and parents — should also pay close attention to the statewide tests that assess reading ability, which are typically given at the beginning of the school year and in the spring. The tests at the beginning of the year will determine a student’s baseline reading ability and indicate whether or not he or she may need extra support. Results of these tests in the springtime are more “high-stakes” in that they may be used to determine whether or not a child will move on to the next grade.
  
  While it’s never too late to get involved, it’s best to find out about a child’s reading difficulties early in the school year so corrective action can be taken.
  
  Q. What happens when a child isn't reading at grade level or better?
  
  A. The right answer is that students who are encountering difficulties immediately receive personalized attention to pinpoint and address their reading problems. Some students may not have a strong foundation in phonics and phonemic awareness, for example. They may not be able to figure out that the letters of the alphabet relate to specific sounds. Or a child may not be able to take apart and combine sounds to create words. In other cases, the student may be able to decode words accurately, but not be able to read text rapidly, with expression. Still other students may be able to read accurately and fluently but not understand the text because of limitations in vocabulary.
  
  You should also make certain that the school has special supports that are available to these students. Such supports could include tutoring or other extra help in reading, textbooks that include words that can be sounded out, and frequent evaluation to determine the level and type of instruction that is creating the most progress. It is also important to know whether all teachers, including specialists, are communicating with one another on a consistent basis to ensure that your child’s reading program is implemented in coherent and coordinated manner. If teachers are teaching different concepts in different ways, that will confuse the student.
  
  Your child’s teacher should also be committed to apprising you of your child’s progress, and to working collaboratively to help you reinforce classroom reading instruction at home by reading with your child, having him read aloud to you, and discussing what he has read.
  
  
• Talk with the principal. Ask the principal the same questions you’re asking the teacher, to ensure they’re on the same page. This will help you determine whether the teacher is using research-based methods, is choosing his or her own methods, or if the approach is being used school-wide.
  
  
• Question the district staff. Ask these same questions of the person in the school district who is in charge of reading. He or she should be able to explain how decisions regarding reading instruction are made, and what research supports these decisions.
  
  
• Take advantage of existing structures. Work with your local PTA or PTO and other parent-advisory groups, teacher unions and school boards to keep effective reading instruction a highly visible topic. Oftentimes a representative of the PTA or PTO can ask questions about the curriculum and reading instruction that teachers don’t feel comfortable asking.
  
  
• Don't be afraid to go to the top. A school board is the ultimate level of oversight for any school division. It is the school board's job to ensure the best education for all children. Keep going back and persevere until all of your questions have been addressed, and keep the issue alive by attending school board meetings and asking for updates.
  
  
• Arm yourself with the facts. Know your facts when talking with school officials. All discussions will go much more smoothly if you use accurate data provided by the school system. You can also access a great deal of reliable information about reading development, reading difficulties, and research-based reading instruction from the Web. The most helpful Web sites are the International Dyslexia Association at www.interdys.org, the U.S. Department of Education’s Reading First Alliance at www.ed.gov/programs/readingfirst, and The Learning Disabilities Association of America at www.ldanatl.org.
  
  
• Be informed. Do your homework before you meet with the principal or district personnel. Every state department of education has a Web site that allows you to access data about your child’s school. This data includes how students as a whole are doing, and how subgroups of children — broken down by race, socioeconomic status, gender, special education status and English-as-a-second-language status are performing. Pay particular attention to the participation rate of students from every group in annual testing. Almost all students should be participating every year.
  
  
• Focus on the bottom line - which is results. Have faith that any school can be turned around. Kids are never lost causes.