Our commitment to continuous learning and program improvement
Our collaboration with researchers examines the evolving implementation and impact of Reading Apprenticeship innovations, including cross-disciplinary literacy, digital and blended environments, as well as varied models of scale and application.
Reading Apprenticeship
impact at a glance
In multiple studies, students in Reading Apprenticeship classrooms out-perform peers on content area learning and literacy tests.
Five federally-funded, randomized controlled studies found that high school students whose teachers participated in Reading Apprenticeship professional development made significant gains in engagement, literacy and discipline academic success.
These consistent findings establish Reading Apprenticeship as a highly effective professional learning solution that brings real results in transforming instruction to increase literacy and overall academic success.
Studies show that Reading Apprenticeship produces:
- Standardized test scores over a year ahead of control students
- Significant impact on students’ reading comprehension scores
- Substantial improvement in students’ GPA in core academic classes
- Positive shifts in students’ identities as readers, problem-solvers and independent learners
- Statistically significant impact on student literacy in science classes
Explore Reading Apprenticeship’s impact and
improvement studies
Supporting Effective Educator Development (SEED) Grant
2018–2022
Supporting Effective Educator Development with Disciplinary Literacy (SETDI)
Learn more about this multi-year effort to support teacher effectiveness at the secondary levels and develop open education STEM resources.
Institute of Education Sciences
2011–2016
PROJECT READI: Reading, Evidence, and Argumentation in Disciplinary Instruction
Part of the large federal “Reading for Understanding” Initiative, our work showed how evidence-based argumentation can increase the reading comprehension of students in grades 6-12.
Supporting Effective Educator Development (SEED) Grant
2016–2019
Reading Apprenticeship Across the Disciplines
Learn more about this project to improve teacher effectiveness and student learning at the secondary level by providing literacy focused, research-based professional learning experiences to 2,000 teachers.
Implementation Stories
Big Impact Through “True Professional Learning Communities”
District administrators attribute teacher PLCs dramatic rise in students' state test scores.
Biotechnology, Grade 12
High School Classroom
Seniors confidently practice Reading Apprenticeship techniques they have learned.
Honors US History, Grade 11
High School Classroom
Students grapple with primary sources, make text-based arguments, and help each other think through reading challenges.
Adult Basic Skills
Community College Classroom
See students work in small groups, reading closely and defending their ideas with evidence from the text.
Teachers Build Capacity to Support Students’ Academic Literacy
Students gained new confidence, surprising their teachers and themselves.
Students Learned to Dig Deeply into Texts Independently and Together
Reading Apprenticeship routines such as Talking to the Text and Thinking aloud helped students understand complex texts.
Classrooms Transformed from Teacher-led to Student-centered
Teacher leaders and teachers saw students move from expecting them to provide the answers, to grappling with the text themselves.
Content Literacy Support through Professional Collaboration
Cross-subject teams of social studies, science teachers and English teachers discuss the impact of school-wide Reading Apprenticeship implementation.