Impact of Reading First upon Third Grade Reading Proficiency: Implications of Federal Regulatory Design for a Local School Agency

The study examined whether or not federal regulatory design of the Reading First program, as supported by No Child Left Behind (No Child Left Behind Act, 2001), the Commonwealth of Pennsylvania, and adopted by an urban school district in southeastern Pennsylvania, represented effective federal educational strategy.;The intradistrict analysis was a cross-sectional, quasi-experimental study by which a cohort sample population was examined for relationships between students as defined by federally proscriptive attributes, their participation in the federally supported Reading First program and subsequent reading proficiency by the end of third grade. The single sample population was drawn on shared student attributes with selection controlled by an independent variable of receipt or non-receipt of Reading First services over a four year period (kindergarten through third grade). Such methodology permitted review of federal regulatory design via the study of associations between Reading First program (non) recipients and attendant student attributes of poverty, ethnicity, English language learner and those identified as in need of special education services.;Regression analysis determined the predictive value of the Reading First program upon student's reading achievement proficiency outcome as measured by their respective third grade Pennsylvania State System Assessment (PSSA) reading proficiency score. Discussion was guided by these analyses as to whether or not reading proficiency outcome was accredited to the regulatory promulgated attributes and conditions of federal design as supported by endorsement of the Reading First program.;Findings were considerably limited. Provision of Reading First Services had little to no effect upon producing a proficient third grade PSSA reading score outcome for the majority of intended recipients as qualified by Reading First Program grant requirements and intent.;Analysis of the associations among the independent variables and dependent variable of a proficient PSSA outcome concluded: a student identified by poverty via receipt of a free or reduced lunch, limited English language capacity, in receipt of special education services, and an ethnicity of Hispanic or Black was also indicated to have a significant probability of a non-proficient score on the third grade PSSA reading measure. Additional support of the conclusion was evidenced by analysis which determined students identified by poverty and an ethnicity of Hispanic, both of whom constituted a significant majority of the students, were the type of student more likely to have received the Reading First Program. An exception was noted for students ethnically identified as Asian whom received Reading First services were more likely to have demonstrated a third grade PSSA reading score of proficient.