Collaborative strategic reading: "Real-world" lessons from classroom teachers

The present study extends 8 years of previous research using Collaborative Strategic Reading (CSR), a set of comprehension strategies designed to improve understanding of expository text. We examined teachers' yearlong implementation of CSR. Five intervention and five control teachers from five schools participated along with their students. Intervention teachers attended a CSR professional development workshop and were provided with ongoing follow-up support. Students in CSR classrooms improved significantly in reading comprehension when compared with students in control classrooms. Teacher case studies reveal that with the exception of one teacher, students' comprehension gains were associated with the quality of CSR implementation.