Reading Together: A Summer Family Reading Apprenticeship Program for Delayed and Novice Readers

The Reading Apprenticeship is an intervention that has been shown in previous studies to increase struggling readers, tested reading achievement by 8 to 9 months during a 12 week, in-school program. This article reports on the first study of the Reading Apprenticeship method conducted in the summer using parents, rather than supervised volunteers, as reading partners. Participating first through fourth grade novice or struggling readers typically gained from two to five months in tested reading skills during the summer, while parents reported enjoying the intervention and seeing evidence of increased skill and interest in reading in their children. Also discussed are the parents' suggestions for program improvement and implications for the use of the Reading Apprenticeship method by schools and libraries to prevent the summer setback that affects so many poor readers.