Multi-site comparison of the effects of success for all on reading achievement

This study investigated the effects of the Success for All (SFA) program on elementary school students' reading achievement in 4 cities. The purpose was to conduct an independent examination of the program's effectiveness separate from the program's developers and from the school district in which it was first implemented The research framework employed a pretest-posttest quasi-experimental design with nonequivalent but systematically matched groups. Results indicated greater achievement for students in SFA classes at 3 of the sites, especially for students achieving below the 25(th) percentile, relative to students in control classrooms at all 4 sites. However, SFA effects were not as strong and consistent as those obtained in the original studies. This research suggests that SFA can be implemented in sites geographically removed from the developers and apart from their direct supervision, but that continual monitoring and support of the program's quality is needed to ensure success over time.