Review methods
An exhaustive search considered hundreds of published and unpublished articles. It included those that met the following criteria:
- Schools or classrooms using each programme had to be compared to randomly assigned or well-matched control groups.
- Study duration had to be at least 12 weeks.
- Outcome measures had to be an assessment of the reading content being taught in all classes. Almost all are standardised tests or state assessments.
- The review placed particular emphasis on studies in which schools, teachers, or pupils were assigned at random to experimental or control groups.
The full report
For the full report, from which this summary was taken, see Slavin, R.E., Lake, C., Davis, S., & Madden, N. Effective programs for struggling readers: A best evidence synthesis. Baltimore, MD: Johns Hopkins University, Center for Data-Driven Reform in Education.
Struggling readers
What Works for Struggling Readers?
As PDF document 
Educator's summary
As PDF document
As web pages
Programmes with limited evidence
Review methods
Full report (218 pages)
As PDF document
