Analysis of the principal's perceptions of the implementation and impact of the accelerated reader and other selected reading strategies used by Texas gold performance elementary schools

摘要

Knowledge of the implementation practices of successful elementary schools willbe beneficial to other elementary principals who seek to improve student success inreading. This study examined perceptions of principals from elementary schools inTexas whose schools received the Gold Performance Acknowledgement (GPA) fromthe Texas Education Agency (TEA) for Continuous Improvement in Reading (CIR)on the Texas Assessment of Academic Skills (TAAS) in 2002. The study had twopurposes: (1) to identify the principal??s perception of the levels of implementationand impact of selected reading strategies used by selected elementary schools inTexas to improve student success in reading and (2) to determine the principal??sperception of the extent to which Accelerated Reader (AR) and AR-like recommendpractices were used in selected elementary schools in Texas.The research design for this study was descriptive. Parameters, which aredescriptive measures of a population, were used since all 721 members of thepopulation were mailed questionnaires. Research was conducted during the winter of2004. Two hundred fifty-two principals responded. A questionnaire using a Likerttypescale for the principals?? responses was used to collect the data. Principals??perceptions were measured to determine the degree of implementation and impact ofAR and other selected reading strategies. Data were analyzed for all 252 respondentsfor selected reading strategies and by the categories of AR and non-AR schools forAR recommended reading strategies and AR-like recommended reading strategies,respectively.This study identified the characteristics of a successful reading program in Texaselementary schools. To maximize their budgets while improving student success inreading, principals should provide their teachers with professional development,implement student/teacher conferences to direct reading practice, allow students toself-select books on their independent reading level for independent reading practice,consider use of literature circles, classroom libraries and reading textbooks, reviewthe use of rewards and posting of goals to determine if these practices increasestudents?? success in reading, assess computer reading programs to determine if thereare less costly options available, and in schools using the AR program, reviewimplementation practices for greater impact.