Instructional Leadership: Using a Research Approach to Evaluate the Impact of a Reading Intervention Program

Though campus principals must take on many leadership roles, their primary responsibility is to facilitate effective teaching and learning with the overall mission of enhancing student achievement. One way to provide instructional leadership is to evaluate and select effective instructional programs that align with campus goals of improving student achievement.
The primary objective of this study will be to evaluate the effect of the reading intervention program, READ 180, on the reading achievement of struggling intermediate school readers in grade eight in a Texas independent school district. The study will employ a quasi-experimental, non-equivalent control group design. A group of ABC ISD eighth grade students who participated in the READ 180 program are compared to a well-matched control group of students from other Texas school districts who participated in more traditional reading classes. Statistically significant differences between the treatment and control groups in reading achievement and other variables of interest are examined.