First Grade Studies

1967

In order to find the best method of beginning reading, the U.S. Office of Education funded a series of 27 different projects about the various approaches to beginning reading and the problems involved with reading instruction. These projects comprised the Cooperative Research Program in First Grade Reading Instruction. Guy Bond and Robert Dykstra led the studies that were carried out from 1964 – 1967. This was the first time that research focused on the way that teachers interacted with the students. The first grade studies emphasized the importance to vengeance the professional development for literacy teachers. Concerning the different approaches, the research from The First Grade Studies concluded that not one method was so outstanding that it should exclude all the others. Overall, they believed that it was the teacher who made the difference in the success of the students’ reading ability. The First Grade Studies still remains the largest and most thorough research conducted in beginning reading.