Developing Early Literacy: Report of the National Early Literacy Panel

Developing Early Literacy: Report of the National Early Literacy Panel

Timothy Shanahan

The National Assessment of Educational Progress reveals that 37 percent of U.S. fourth graders fail to achieve basic levels of reading achievement. The incidence of reading failure is even higher within low-income families, ethnic minority groups, and English-language learners. Large-scale studies have shown that young children—those entering kindergarten and first grade—vary greatly in their attainment of the early precursor skills that provide the launching pad for later literacy learning (West, Denton, & Germino-Hausken, 2000; West, Denton, & Reaney, 2000). What can be done in U.S. homes, preschools, and kindergartens to better prepare children to succeed in learning to read and write?