Reading Achievement in Reading First Schools in Michigan

The purpose of this article is to examine whether there were improvements in the percentage of first-, second-, and third-grade students in Reading First (RF) schools in Michigan who performed at or above grade level on a standardized test of reading comprehension. The study reports results for 140 schools that participated in the RF initiative between 2002 and 2008. Results show that significant progress was made in improving the percentage of students reading at or above grade level in grades 1 and 2, but not in grade 3. While not the primary focus of the study, additional analyses showed significant decreases in the percentage of students reading substantially below grade level in RF schools, particularly for first and second grades. The effects of poverty and student and teacher attrition significantly and negatively affected schools' progress in improving reading comprehension achievement. The results suggest that the RF initiative in Michigan was effective in improving the reading comprehension of students in schools that were less hampered by problems associated with very high poverty.