Does Structure of Content Delivery or Degree of Professional Development Support Matter for Student Reading Growth in High-Poverty Settings?

Abstract

We addressed whether the degree of structure of reading content delivery to the children or degree of professional development support for the teachers was related to kindergarten through second-grade students' 2-year reading growth in high-poverty, low-performing schools. There were four categories of data sources: (a) classroom, curriculum-based, reading assessments; (b) principal questionnaires; (c) information about staff development and implementation of reading-instruction reform; and (d) demographic information. Six reading variables were created from the classroom reading assessments. Two variables were created from staff development logs and school-based reading-instruction implementation plans-"degree to which content delivery to children was structured" and "degree to which teachers were supported in learning the instructional structure and content." Control variables such as student poverty status and percentage of African American students in the school were created from the principal questionnaire and demographic data. Hierarchical linear models were used. Main conclusions were as follows: (a) Less structured content delivery overshadowed more structured delivery for student growth, but there was added value of being in schools with more characteristics associated with effectiveness. (b) Students who made the greatest growth were in schools with higher support for teachers. But in low-support settings, students made more growth if they 466 Journal of Literacy Research 45(4)were in schools with more characteristics associated with school effectiveness. (c) The degree of structure of content delivery and degree of professional development support were significantly related to growth in phonics knowledge, but not to growth in other reading subprocesses.Keywords ages 6-8, hierarchical linear modeling, low SES, professional development of teachers, quantitative (general)The present study addressed the following: (a) Is there a relationship between the degree of structure of reading content delivery and kindergarten through second-grade students' 2-year reading growth? and (b) Is there a relationship between the degree of professional development support for the teachers to learn the instructional structure and content and kindergarten through second-grade students' 2-year reading growth? The degree of structure of content delivery to the children was defined by the extent to which a framework was specified for content delivery and instructional activities. An example of high-structure delivery was one in which teachers were given scripts to use during reading lessons. An example of low-structure delivery was book floods with little or no explicit instruction. Degree of professional development support for teachers was defined by the extent to which professional development sessions were held as well as the extent of follow-up coaching or scaffolding. Study ContextOur study was conducted in the context of a statewide early reading reform effort in high-poverty schools that involved some features...

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