Language, Literacy and Behavior Curriculum Efficacy

University Of Kansas Lawrence, Lawrence KS

Investigators

Abstract

DESCRIPTION (provided by applicant): School readiness refers to a particular set of characteristics that promote children's success in school. The failure to be ready for school is an impairment of ability that severely restricts competence, adaptive function, and quality of life. The most important and essential ingredient of school readiness is readiness to learn to read. Reading is a keystone skill for future success and reading failure is an educational and a public health problem. The prevalence of significant reading disability is estimated at 17% to 20% of children (1 in 5), and more than 33% (1 in 3) experience difficulties learning to read. The proportion of children entering school who are not ready is unknown; however, the children at highest risk are poor, minority, non-native speakers of English, and whose parents do not read. Success in elementary school is moderated by readiness at school entry. Empirical knowledge currently identifies (a) the key skill elements in early oral language, emerging literacy, self-regulation of behavior, and social competency, and (b) what adult-guiding interactions are needed to teach these skills. Unknown is exactly how these components may be best integrated to form comprehensive curriculum solutions for teaching children prior to kindergarten. Also unknown is the interaction between early literacy and behavior/social problems. In this application, an investigation of the effects of integrated curriculum components (oral language, emergent literacy, self regulatory behavior, and social competency) and their interactions with student age, gender, race, aptitude, fidelity of implementation, and present and later schooling contexts, is proposed. A multistate, multisite, longitudinal, randomized trial will be used to test hypotheses affecting emerging and later readiness skills in kindergarten and subsequent reading in elementary school. Aims are to: I. Establish a multidisciplinary scientific team; 2. Ascertain the research population and sampling strategies; 3. Identify sites and establish researcher-practitioner partnerships with a wide array of constituents to participate; 4. Develop the conceptual framework that will guide the design and testing of hypotheses; 5. Plan the approach to curriculum integration; 6. Develop the measurement model including specific measures and their technical features; 7. Construct data analysis plans needed including necessary expertise; 8. Plan the approach to professional development and supports needed to replicate the curriculum at high levels of fidelity; 9. Plan the approach to measuring costs and analyzing cost-benefit; and 10. Develop the infrastructure necessary to assure implementation (i.e., coordinate decisions, measurements, and treatments across sites, and manage and analyze data).