Reading Recovery
Program basics
- Overarching goal is to intervene before students' literacy difficulties become lifelong obstacles
- Intervention consists of short-term, individualized literacy instruction. Students receive 30 minutes of daily instruction for approximately 12 to 20 weeks
- Intervention is targeted at first graders having the most difficulty with literacy learning
- Intervention supplements class instruction and is delivered via carefully designed intensive instructional practices by trained, knowledgeable teachers
Strength of evidence
Evidence level: Strong (second-highest tier)
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Strong (second-highest tier)
Ranked as having the second-highest level of evidence by the U.S. Department of Education What Works Clearinghouse, Blueprints for Healthy Youth Development
Target population
Elementary school-aged children
Program cost
Not available
Implementation locations
- Nationwide
Dates active
Not available
Outcomes and impact
- Improves reading achievement
- Improved alphabetics, reading fluency, and reading comprehension
- Improved alphabetics by an average of 21 percentile points
- Improved reading fluency by an average of 46 percentile points
- Improved comprehension by an average of 14 percentile points
- Improved general reading achievement by an average of 27 percentile points
Keys to successful implementation
- Note: This content is under review
- Structured processes guide implementation at all levels: working with school systems to implement the intervention, training teachers for problem solving, and monitoring the progress of students.
- Teacher leaders at all sites have taken courses on implementation theory and practice and continue to explore implementation issues during ongoing professional development sessions.
- Fidelity of implementation is ensured via documented adherence to formal, organization-wide guidelines and continuous professional development for trainers, teacher leaders, and teachers.
- Teacher training sites are staffed with coordinators, who help administer the program and support local implementation decisions.
- The broader Reading Recovery network supports schools and districts as they introduce and implement the intervention.
