An Investigation into the Read-Aloud Program, Project Read, within the Public Elementary Schools of Wyoming County, New York

Abstract

This investigation was conducted with seven public elementary schools, grades K-4, in Wyoming County, New York. The purpose of this investigation was to determine the degree of participation among children and parents in the Project Read Program within these seven schools. This read-aloud program was designed to encourage patents to read aloud to their children each day. Each program was described and the participation within each grade level was compared to the overall participation within the school, and these results were charted. Data were collected from two elementary schools to determine who was reading to the child. The results of this investigation showed that the total part1cipation in the Project Read Program within the seven public elementary schools was 52% of the total K-4 student population. The total participation of grades K-4 ranged from 34% to 71% of the total school's population. In six out of the seven schools the participation level was higher with the lower grades, kindergarten and first, and lower in the fourth grade. In one school, the fourth grade was second highest. The results also concluded that the mother reads to the child the majority of the time, (more than 80%), the father less than 20% and others less than 10%. The Project Read Program has provided parents with the opportunity to get involved with their child's reading. It has encouraged parents to read aloud to their children and made them aware of the advantages of reading aloud.