Customer Reviews

What Really Matters for Struggling Readers: Designing Research-Based Programs

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This is a MUST READ for all reading teachers, administrators and teachers. Dick is not an "ivory tower" researcher, but one who is out in classrooms observing and talking with kids and teachers. This book is a simple guide to make EVERY school reading program successful - IF teachers will follow the advice offered. Kids learn to read by reading, so let them read. The book itself is an easy read. My copy is highlighted in 3 colors and looks like a rainbow with the wealth of information it offers. Go DO IT!

I bought the book in search of ways to help my 6 year old overcome apparent reading difficulties. This book is so well grounded on scientific findings rather than hearsays. Yet it also provides guidelines for tutoring struggling readers and pointers to various resources. After reading this book, I realized that my child had the typical word-by-word problem described in the book, most likely due to interrupting corrections to his pronunciation. This book taught me how essential it is to use books of the right level and the right way to tutor a struggling reader. I put what I learned into practice during a recent vocation and saw great improvement even just after one week. Now my son no longer feels frustrated when asked to read, rather he starts to enjoy reading. I really wish that my sons teacher had read this book, but I am glad I found it. This book really makes me in awe of the power of knowledge gained through serious scientific research. I recommend it wholeheartedly to parents and teachers alike.

Richard Allington has done a masterful job of combining research in an easy to read and an understandable format. Not only WHAT he has to say is important, but (unlike other researchers that write so technically they're hard to read)HOW he says it is so down to earth and easy to read and understand. What he has to say in this book is so important for every teacher to read and implement in their classroom. I am a literacy consultant for our district, and most of the other consultants all own and love this book. This would be a great book for staff development, study groups, or any teacher that would like to improve their teaching.

This book has helped me so much with the struggling readers in my 2nd grade classroom. It is user-friendly, and based on real-life teaching situations. Ideas for comprehension have improved my students understanding of the story by leaps and bounds. My classroom library is now organized and leveled, and much easier for the students to enjoy, and to find books at their levels. It also helped me realize which books needed to be removed for now. Some books look like they're an easy read, but the word usage can be up to 9th grade! This is the best teaching resource I have read in the last year!

This book was one of the required texts for a Master's Level course I took on "Reading Diagnosis". As a middle school Reading Teacher, I employ many of the strategies written about in this textbook. I also recommend this easy-to-read book to all parents and tutors. It will change the way you approach struggling readers. Most techniques and interventions can be used with any student of any age/grade level. It is a "must read" for all classroom teachers, preservice teachers and Teacher Trainers! Enjoy! :)

Mr. Allington claims that this book is not about the whole language versus phonics debate. For the most part, this is a true statement. Most of this book contains common sense recommendations that people on either side of the "great debate" support.

Mr. Allington states:

- Children need to read a lot.
- Children need books that they can read.
- Children need to learn to read fluently.
- Children need to learn to develop thoughtful literacy.

Who would argue with these tenets?

Mr. Allington acknowledges that the National Reading Panel felt that the research reviewed had not demonstrated the benefits of sustained silent reading.

Because Allington claims his book is not about the phonics debate, he does not include phonics instruction as part of What Really Matters for Struggling Readers? He does, however, spend time attempting to discredit research supporting a code-emphasis approach to teaching reading, including the use of decodable text. His conclusion that there have not been studies that effectively manipulated the use of decodable text causes him to state that "claims to the utility of decodable text are sheer nonsense and not supported by the research available." Nowhere does Allington suggest reworking the experimental design of the studies supporting the use of decodable text.

And Allington claims his book is not about whole language versus phonics. Nonsense.

This book is a wordy testimony to the author himself. The entire 1st chapter is nothing new to anyone who has ever looked at statistics or data of any kind. Nor is much of the rest of the book for that matter. There are a few good ideas near the end, however, he spends so much time talking in circles, quoting himself, and using writing styles that I would never accept from my students that much of the meaning is lost in the process. Perhaps it is simply the style of his writing I do not like. It is hard to follow and seems to repeat itself.