A couple end-of-week things to read. First is an interesting study of supplemental reading comprehension programs that was released this week. (See my story here.) Researchers on this federally funded study found that most of the supplemental programs they tested on 5th graders offered no help in boosting their comprehension. This is a really large-scale, randomized study done over two years, so it’s worth taking a look.
Also, my colleague Mary Ann Zehr has a story about a new study that defines characteristics of schools that do particularly well with African American and Latino boys. The group that catalyzed the study, the Coalition of Schools Educating Boys of Color, got off the ground a few years ago (see my story from their inaugural gathering). Its members are driven by great passion and high hopes for schooling that will do right by this very vulnerable group of students.