Study links hearing, reading difficulties

Students with literacy-based learning disabilities may struggle with undiagnosed mild to moderate hearing impairment, according to researcher Helen Breadmore of Coventry University. Breadmore suggested that hearing impairments may make it more difficult for students to understand classroom instruction or link sounds & language to text.  The Telegraph (London) (tiered subscription model)  

Physical fitness linked to improved reading skills in children

Research published in the journal Brain and Cognition says children who were physically fit had faster and stronger neuroelectrical brain responses during reading than less-fit peers, indicating better reading skills and language comprehension. RedOrbit (6/3)http://www.redorbit.com/news/health/1113161451/physical-fitness-children-linked-to-language-skills-060314/

Research indicates reading may alter brains of individuals with dyslexia

Recent research indicates that reading practices can either hurt or help children with dyslexia who are learning to read, Annie Murphy Paul writes. Studies from researchers at the Georgetown University Medical Center's Center for the Study of Learning and the Catholic University of Leuven in Belgium indicate that reading experiences, or lack thereof, affect neural connections, and improve or contribute to the severity of the disorder. The New York Times (tiered subscription model)/Motherlode blog (5/15) http://parenting.blogs.nytimes.com/2014/05/15/reading-experience-may-change-the-brains-of-dyslexic-students/?_php=true&_type=blogs&_php=true&_type=blogs&_r=1&

Improving Reading Outcomes for Students with or at Risk for Reading Disabilities

This report describes what has been learned about the improvement of reading outcomes for children with or at risk for reading disabilities through published research funded by the Institute of Education Science (IES). The report describes contributions to the knowledge base across four focal areas: assessment, basic cognitive and linguistic processes that support successful reading, intervention, and professional development.  http://ies.ed.gov/ncser/pubs/20143000/pdf/20143000.pdf

Study shows video games may improve reading skills in people with dyslexia

Researchers found that individuals with dyslexia had trouble shifting focus between auditory and visual stimuli in a video game. The act of refocusing attention in the game is similar to shifting attention between letters and lines in text, lead author Vanessa Harrar said. "Action video games have been shown to improve multitasking skills and might also be beneficial in improving the speed with which people with dyslexia shift attention from one task, or sense, to another," she said. MedicalDaily.com (2/13)  http://www.medicaldaily.com/how-video-games-help-people-dyslexia-read-focus-improving-reading-comprehension-gaming-skills-269228

Parent Toolkit

Looking for a growth chart for academics? This parent toolkit helps parents understand course material covered in each grade. Organized by level, each grade offers information about Math and Language Arts along with Tips and Advice for fostering success. The site is produced by NBC News Education Nation and is sponsored by Pearson.  http://www.parenttoolkit.com/

Are computer-based reading interventions effective?

Principal Peter DeWitt considers the effectiveness of computer-based reading interventions in this blog post. He quotes reading expert Dick Allington and a national study to explore the issue of whether popular software programs have a significant impact on students' reading scores and what role such programs should play in the classroom -- instructional or supplemental. Education Week/Finding Common Ground blog (1/20)  http://blogs.edweek.org/edweek/finding_common_ground/2013/01/the_myth_about_computer_based_reading_software.html

A new way to teach reading to students with Down syndrome?

A Texas school district is piloting a new technique for teaching reading to students with Down syndrome. The program, which incorporates sight words, phonics and vocabulary, is based on a study in the United Kingdom that found daily interventions helped improve reading and language skills among students with Down syndrome and other disabilities. San Antonio Express-News (9/8)  http://www.mysanantonio.com/news/education/article/NEISD-to-pilot-Down-syndrome-reading-program-3850185.php

■Wider-spaced text may boost reading skills in children with dyslexia

Widening the space between letters in words increased the reading speed and average accuracy of 74 Italian and French children with dyslexia, according to a study published in the Proceedings of the National Academy of Sciences. Researchers said the strategy is not a cure for dyslexia, which causes the brain to process information differently, but the spaced-out text may assist some children with dyslexia to read more easily. WebMD (6/4) http://www.webmd.com/parenting/news/20120604/spacing-letters-apart-helps-dyslexia

Research Shows Mentoring Needed for Disconnected Youth

Opportunity Road: The Promise and Challenge of America's Forgotten Youth, a new report based on a national survey and additional research, focuses on understanding how young people between ages 16 and 24 become disconnected from school and work and what challenges they face in trying to reconnect. The report notes that, according to Teachers College, Columbia University, more than 17 percent of American youth between 16 and 24 are classified as disconnected. It also reports that mentoring can play an important role in helping young people get back on track.

The report was produced by Civic Enterprises & America's Promise Alliance in association with Peter D. Hart Research Associates for the Annie E. Casey Foundation, Bill & Melinda Gates Foundation and James Irvine Foundation.  http://www.americaspromise.org/About-the-Alliance/Press-Room/Press-Releases/2012/~/media/Files/Resources/CE_opportunity_road_2012.ashx

Bringing Speech Recognition to the Classroom

According to the report of the National Reading Panel (2000), the single best practice for developing reading fluency is one-on-one guided oral reading. Most classrooms are not staffed to provide enough guided oral reading practice. In this new report from the Joan Ganz Cooney Center, Marilyn Jager Adams, a pioneer in literacy research and practice, points to evidence that basic speech recognition technology -- widely used in telephone call-routing and directory assistance -- can be tapped as a cost-effective and scalable way to provide individual reading support to improve early childhood literacy, particularly fluency. http://support.weta.org/site/R?i=KOv3iuCRfnL4EPP-284rVw