Literacy

Over its twenty-five year history, Rockman et al Cooperative has developed a strong reputation for conducting evaluations of programs designed to support literacy development in both formal and informal education spaces. We have conducted research to evaluate television and web-based series designed to support early literacy, as well as initiatives to enhance reading on a national scale. Our literacy evaluation projects have examined diversity and multicultural issues in public schools, language learning and socialization in technology-enhanced classrooms, and the use of authentic community issues for teaching language and literacy. We have also made contributions to research on English Learners in the areas of technology, curriculum and instruction, assessment, and professional development for teachers. Please explore selected examples of our literacy projects below.

If our past work is aligned with your needs, we welcome the opportunity to discuss your project with you and to provide you with more information about our tailored services. Please Contact Us to schedule a free 30-minute Q&A session with a consultant.

Selected Projects Include

  • Photo courtesy of marco antonio torres via CC licensing.

    Multilingual Learner Project

    The Multilingual Learner Project (MLP) was a partnership between the City College of New York and New Visions for Public Schools funded by the U.S. Department of Education’s Office of English Language Acquisition. The program was designed to allow in-service, content-area high school teachers in New York City to obtain TESOL certification and onsite training and support focused on strengthening connections between school and home. REA’s research focused on investigating the implementation of training program and its influence on teachers’ practice and communication with families, and utilized a quasi-experimental design with matching to estimate program effects on students’ language development and progress toward graduation.

  • Photo courtesy of Juan Cristóbal Cobo via CC licensing.

    PBS Kids: Raising Readers

    REA conducted a study of PBS Kids Island with twenty-one English-speaking children ages 3-8 to learn about site usage patterns over an extended period of time, whether children found the content to be age-appropriate, fun, and accessible, and the overall appeal of the site to children. REA conducted usability testing for the PBS Kids Raising Readers website, including versions in Spanish and English. Working with PBS contacts, Hispanic community organizations, and public libraries in three US sites, we conducted more than 69 user testing sessions with parents, teachers and caregivers of children ages 2-8, focusing on children from low-income families and including bilingual teachers and caregivers of Spanish-speaking children.

  • Photo courtesy of US ED via CC licensing.

    ReadWorks

    ReadWorks worked to support reading comprehension instruction by providing research-based, grade-level aligned instructional materials and tools to over 1 million K–12 teachers and 13 million students. REA partnered with ReadWorks to design and conduct a series of multi-year evaluation studies investigating both the implementation and impact of ReadWorks’ curriculum and teacher training materials. The evaluation research included an investigation of web analytics data, a mixed-methods retrospective study focused on teacher usage of the website and curriculum, a multi-year study of ReadWorks-supported teacher practice networks, and a prospective efficacy study of their Article-A-Day curriculum in high-needs, urban classrooms. Teachers reported valuable gains from using ReadWorks to develop students’ content knowledge, vocabulary, reading comprehension skills, and reading motivation.

  • Photo courtesy of mysapl via CC licensing.

    The Big Read

    The Big Read is an initiative of the National Endowment for the Arts, in partnership with the Institute of Museum and Library Services and Arts Midwest designed to bring communities together to celebrate reading. REA conducted a 19-month study of The Big Read to learn more about how communities held a Big Read—what books they chose, what partners they enlisted, what promotional and programming strategies they devised, what NEA resources they used, and what audiences they reached. The study, based on data from over 300 communities, also explored the project’s success in its overarching goal of restoring reading to the center of American culture. REA used a mixed-methods design that included feedback forms from Big Read events, surveys of participants and grantees, reviews of grantee reports required by the project, and tabular data on attendance, circulation, and partnerships from Arts Midwest. We also conducted a series of 36 case studies.

    Report: The-Big-Read-Final-Report
  • Photo by Taylor Flowe on Unsplash

    The Summer Academy for Integrated Language Learning

    The Summer Academy for Integrated Language Learning (SAILL) is a high school summer program with integrated English language development designed to help address inequitable access to core academics—including STEM and computer science—for newcomer multilingual students. The program expands opportunities to earn high school credits and enhance English language learning. REA is the evaluator of SAILL, which received a five-year grant from the U.S. Department of Education’s Education Innovation and Research program. The evaluation is researching SAILL implementation, its impacts on students (through quasi-experimental research), and strategies for replication and scaling.