Turning a New Page |
Intervention Products and Services |
The Research Behind Cracking The Code
HISTORY
Cracking The Code was developed over a period of seven years. The project was conceived at the Literacy 2000 Towards Reintegration Conference held in Ottawa, Canada where Rick McAtee was invited to speak. He discussed the relationship between self-esteem, behavior, and lack of literacy skills. Asked to prove this connection, he was challenged to use a Federal Institution where inmates were reading far below grade level. The project, called Turning a New Page, spanned the next three years and focused on 1) motivating and empowering the reluctant reader, 2) creating a positive attitude, 3) explicit instruction, and 4) fluency. In 2002, the project was featured on an ABC special broadcast, “Reading: Your ABC’s to Success.” In 2003, the success of the project was documented in the Journal of Adolescent and Adult Literacy, “Life and Literacy: Struggling Readers in Prison.” In 2004, Turning a New Page (now a company) used the information and data obtained from the older reluctant readers (ages 21-65) to create materials intended for use by instructors outside the prison system.
Cracking the Code: Decoding Really Does Influence Comprehension
By Lynnette Brunderman, Ed.D.
Literacy is a national priority. No Child Left Behind mandates that all students progress in the curriculum, meeting grade level standards in both Language Arts and Mathematics. Demands of modern life require proficient reading and writing skills. Poor literacy skills have a dramatic effect on the social issues of criminology, homelessness, underemployment and health care coverage. However, reading problems can be addressed. We need to shift from the conventional thoughts and practices about how children learn to read to a more focused awareness of the research evidence.
Journal Of Adolescent & Adult literacy
Article published: March 2003
Turning a New Page to Life and Literacy
By Dr. Rosemarye T. Taylor, Richard McAtee
