Public Service Clinics Topics

Garfield High School Read Right Program

Agency/Program Overview

For six years, Garfield High School has offered the Read Right program to students who enter high school reading significantly below grade level. Approximately 90% of the students who enter the program begin reading at a 1st to 4th grade level. This innovative program has achieved amazing results with both adults and students nationwide. Most students are reading at grade level within one semester. The Garfield Parent Teacher Student Association (PTSA) launched this program out of concern for the large number of Garfield students who were reading many years below their grade level and struggling in many of their classes. The PTSA researched effective programs and raised the funds to pay for it. Due to the program’s success, the PTSA has obtained partial district support, enough to hire a full-time teacher, Mallory Clarke, to run the program. The PTSA continues to provide the funds to hire two Americorps members each year who work side-by-side with the teacher to provide the necessary small group learning.

It also finances the purchase of books and various other program supplies. Despite its anecdotal successes that have teachers in the building whole heartedly supporting it, the program always seems to have to fight for its yearly budget. Questions about its longevity are always on the table. The current building administration supports the program, but a sudden change in principals could mean the end of the program. Any evaluation that is done of Read Right programs in other districts holds no weight in this district. In addition, requests for information about our program or about our student results are difficult to fulfill. We are experts in reading, not in program evaluation, and our attempts to collect and analyze data fall short of what could influence administrators' decisions.

Specific Research Question

1. What is the impact of the Read Right program on students' academic achievement?
2. What is the impact of the Read Right program on students' attitude toward reading and toward school?

Additional Project Background

Read Right is a national program which assists both children and adults who are struggling with reading. While it is used in schools and adult literacy programs across the country, it is not a recognized reading program of the Seattle school district. Teachers and volunteers who have worked with Garfield students in the Read Right program over the past six years have seen students progress many grade levels in their reading ability and noted the tremendous impact that improved reading skills have on these students'
lives. However, this data has been considered anecdotal, while pre- and post- test results from recognized exams such as Gate McGinity have been inconclusive.

We would like assistance translating this anecdotal evidence into a quantitative and qualitative demonstration of impact in the following areas:

1. What is the impact of graduation from the Read Right program on students' achievement as measured by grades in specific classes, overall grade point, standardized test scores, graduation rates, and post-graduation plans?
2. How does the impact of the Read Right program vary by race, gender, disability status, English language status, length of time in program, and initial reading level?
3. What is the impact of the Read Right program on discipline referrals?
4. What is the impact of participation in the Read Right program on students' attitudes toward reading and toward school?
5. Participation in the Read Right program requires missing months of instruction in regular language arts classes. What is the impact of this missed instruction on students' skill development?

Key Steps

1. UW student meets with Read Right teacher to refine research questions, outline a study design, and agree on a project time-line.
2. Read Right teacher connects UW student to various sources of existing student data from the school district and within the high school.
3. UW student selects control group among high school students.
4. UW student designs and administers quantitative and qualitative research instruments to answer research questions.
5. UW student analyzes data and drafts report to answer research questions.
6. UW student designs an ongoing data collection and analysis system to answer research questions on an annual basis and trains Read Right teacher in management of system.
7. UW student provides recommendations on how modest program modifications might improve future results.

Additional Research Resources

The key research resources would be the Read Right teacher, existing Read Right data (e.g. reading level upon entrance to program, length of time in program), existing student demographic and academic data, and interviews with students and teachers.

If you have questions about this topic or would like more information, please email Mallory Clarke, Reading Teacher.