| The National Assessment of Educational Progress and International Reading Literacy Study data reveal that reading comprehension presents a challenge for some African American elementary students in the study school district. The purpose of this study was to test a means of bridging the achievement gap by providing home reading comprehension activities for parents of struggling African American elementary students. Using multicultural education as the conceptual framework, this qualitative study, involving an ethnographic case study approach, investigated which reading comprehension activities would be the most useful for African American parents to use at home with struggling readers and which types of support would be needed to help parents implement these activities. Data from interviews with 10 parents were analyzed using a direct interpretation coding system developed through the analysis of similar patterns, themes, and/or concepts within the collected data. The data revealed parents preferred step-by-step written instructions while teachers were providing verbal instructions. A professional development project was developed and used to train teachers to work with parents and to provide reading activities for before, during, and after reading to be used at home. A recommendation is that the school district involved in the study conduct a program evaluation of their current reading program. Positive social change includes forming a professional learning community with teachers and parents by helping struggling African American readers find success, by building a stronger community, and by improving communication between the school and home. |
