Secondary. The Every Student Succeeds Act (ESSA) recognizes four levels of evidence. The top three levels require findings of a statistically significant effect on improving student outcomes or other relevant outcomes. Based on the law’s definition, Reading Apprenticeship qualifies as a “strong” evidenced-based professional development model that states, districts and schools can utilize to advance their specific adolescent literacy initiatives. To support these efforts, state and local leaders can look to braid federal funding streams such as Title I, Title II-Part A and B, and Title III.

Some schools may also have access to School Improvement Grant (SIG) funds.

District personnel are encouraged to contact their area Field Services Consultant to discuss plans and funding in greater detail since this person is usually the first to approve such funding proposals.

Districts may also divert some of their own professional development funds to high-need schools when no other external resources can be found.

Community College. Colleges that have federal grants, such as Title V or Title III, find that these are a good source of support for Reading Apprenticeship professional development.

In California, the statewide Reading Apprenticeship Project, funded by the California Community College Success Network (3CSN), provides scholarships for community college teams that want to build a campus Reading Apprenticeship community. In other states, sometimes a statewide entity such as the Michigan Community College Association (MCCA) or Washington’s Workforce Development Councils can offer support.

At an institutional level, because Reading Apprenticeship can be used to help colleges develop initiatives related to supplemental instruction, first-year experience, embedded remediation, or acceleration, funding can be found within a college’s own professional development budget. Likewise, Reading Apprenticeship is a strong support for colleges working to meet accreditation criteria, and a good investment in a successful process.

Reading Apprenticeship professional learning supports teachers in learning how to recognize and model for students their own expert subject area reading strategies and engage students in understanding their own thinking processes. The Reading Apprenticeship approach fosters learning dispositions of persistence, problem-solving, and collaboration. As students develop more academic independence and agency, instructors are able to step away from “delivering content” to focusing on building and sustaining a supportive classroom culture based on inquiry and deeper learning.

The Reading Apprenticeship approach works with existing curriculum for all subject areas. Instructors can use the materials that provide the strongest content match for their students. The Reading Apprenticeship approach helps you integrate literacy and disciplinary learning, with whatever materials you choose. We do have one 9th grade Academic Literacy course, and we do have free units for History and Science that include Open Resource texts, digital materials and teacher guides. Contact us to learn more or visit our resource library.

Reading Apprenticeship has been successfully implemented across a wide range of demographics and educational settings nationwide, from rural and suburban schools to large urban districts and diverse college settings. Please see our Implementation Examples chart to gain insight into a variety of school, district, and statewide case studies.

Visiting a school for firsthand observation can be a useful first step in implementation. Please contact us for more information about how you can see Reading Apprenticeship in action.

Students who are English learners encounter the English language from a problem-solving stance by necessity. Reading Apprenticeship also approaches the English language from a problem-solving stance, by design. This means that Reading Apprenticeship gives English learners exactly the kind of literacy support they need most.

In two randomized controlled studies of Reading Apprenticeship, English learners or students who speak languages other than English at home had robust, statistically significant gains on standardized achievement tests in reading comprehension, English language arts, and biology.

English learners make these kinds of gains because Reading Apprenticeship emphasizes student collaboration and safe, respectful classrooms. Teachers are primed to build from students’ strengths, to encourage collaboration and community, and to “normalize” the struggle that comes with effortful reading—for all students. Because of our emphasis on metacognition, students have windows into their teachers’ and peers’ thinking and vocabulary as they talk about how they read and make sense of texts and this is especially helpful when mastering a new language.

Now more than ever, students need an understanding of how to read, write, and reason within each discipline. Historians, scientists, mathematicians, computer scientists, health professionals, and literary critics all use texts in different ways – Reading Apprenticeship helps teachers make discipline-specific approaches to comprehension visible and explicit, and thus they have new ways to make their subject area thinking more accessible to students. Teachers of all subjects benefit from Reading Apprenticeship professional learning. That’s why we recommend a schoolwide approach to Reading Apprenticeship. At both the secondary and college levels, some of our biggest fans are STEM teachers.

Yes — individual instructors can participate in professional learning on their own. However, teachers, just like students, learn better in a community and with thought partners, so we strongly encourage teachers to participate in teams. A good way to get started is to grab a few colleagues and participate in Essentials I. If you have a good experience, you can then send another team or call us to set up a training for your school or district.

Another easy place to begin is with our book Reading for Understanding: How Reading Apprenticeship Improves Disciplinary Learning in Secondary and College Classrooms. The book’s clear explanation of the Reading Apprenticeship framework and its many classroom close-ups and instructional tools can get you started thinking about and trying out key Reading Apprenticeship routines on your own.

The book also makes an excellent choice for a professional book group or learning community, if you find yourself wanting company.

Reading Apprenticeship professional learning is proven to support teaching and learning across a wide range of demographics and educational settings, from rural and suburban schools to large urban districts and diverse college settings. Our focus is on middle school, high school, and college.

The Reading Apprenticeship approach is inherently flexible and proven to support academic success for all students, from at-risk to AP level to English learners.