Any school or school district interested in implementing Reading Recovery must first develop an implementation plan with the help of a Reading Recovery teacher leader, and/or site coordinator. Teacher candidates and district administrators are then asked to print, complete, and mail the following application to the nearest training site. The application includes a description of recommended teacher qualifications as well as district and teacher commitments

District Commitment
Reading Recovery requires commitment from a school district to implement the intervention and sustain it as part of its comprehensive literacy plan. As the early intervention component in this plan, it is a system intervention, not an isolated stand-alone program. One of the benefits of Reading Recovery is the professional development that creates literacy experts who share their knowledge with other staff and students. Reading Recovery teachers typically teach four Reading Recovery students per day, equivalent to one-half day of service. During the remainder of the day, teachers are usually assigned to other duties such as classroom teaching or small-group instruction. Most Reading Recovery teachers serve as Title I or Reading teachers. Other roles include teachers of special education, ESL, and staff development.

Intensive Initial Training
The initial Training for Reading Recovery teachers includes attendance in a yearlong graduate-level course while working individually with four children daily in their school. Teacher leaders provide the training at nearby sites and also visit the teachers in training several times throughout the course of the year in their schools. In most of the weekly sessions, Reading Recovery teachers-in-training observe two individual lessons taught behind a one-way mirror. Each teacher works with a current student while peers observe the lesson on the other side of the mirror. The teacher leader guides the observing teachers as they engage in intense discussion of their observations. After the lessons, all participants meet to reflect on and analyze the lesson. This discussion helps teachers make critical connections between theory and practice.

Funding Sources for Initial Training
In the state of New Jersey, Demonstrably Effective Program Aid, Early Childhood Program Aid, Desegregation Aid, as well as Title I and Title V funds can be used for Reading Recovery teacher training, as well as teacher salaries in some cases. Up to 15% of IDEA funds that come into a district can be used for pre-referral intervention services, such as Reading Recovery.

Federal Funding Sources
Statute	Title	Type of Grant and Purpose
Title I, Part A	Improving Basic Programs	Formula Grant to LEAs - www.ed.gov/offices/OESE/SASA/cepprogresp.html This program provides financial assistance through state educational agencies (SEAs) to local educational agencies (LEAs) and schools with high numbers or percentages of poor children to help ensure that all children meet challenging state academic content and student academic achievement standards.
NEW in FY08	School Improvement Funds	Formula grant to SEAs: http://www.ed.gov/programs/sif/index.html Grants to states for Title I schools that do not make adequate yearly progress for at least 2 consecutive years. Authorized activities include the development and implementation of school improvement plans, professional development for teachers and staff, corrective actions such as instituting a new curriculum, development and implementation of restructuring plans, and the provision of public school choice and supplemental educational services options.
Title I, Part B	Reading First	Hybrid Formula Grant to SEAs - www.ed.gov/programs/readingfirst/index.html The focus of Reading First is on ensuring that all teachers are well prepared to teach reading with methods based on scientific research in high-need, high-poverty school districts.
Title II, Part A	Teacher and Principal Training and Recruiting	Formula Grant to LEAs - http://www.ed.gov/offices/OESE/AIDP/epdp.html The purpose of Title II, Part A is to help increase the academic achievement of all students by helping schools and school districts ensure that all teachers are highly qualified to teach.
Title III, Part A	English Language Acquisition, Language Enhancement, and Academic Achievement	Formula Grant to LEAs - http://www.ed.gov/offices/OESE/esea/progsum/title3.html Consolidates the 13 current bilingual and immigrant education programs into a state formula program and maintains the current focus on assisting school districts in teaching English to limited-English-proficient students.
IDEA 2004 Title I, Part B	Assistance for Education of All Children with Disabilities	Early intervening services and response to intervention. Discretionary use of up to 15% of formula grant special education funds to LEAs. www.ed.gov/about/offices/list/osers/index.htlm?src

If you need additional funding information, please contact the Reading Recovery Council of North America at www.readingrecovery.org.

 

Continuing Education
After the initial training year, Reading Recovery teachers continue learning through continuing contact sessions. Each teacher attends a minimum of six continuing contact sessions at the training sites conducted by teacher leaders. At least four of these sessions include observing two lessons behind a one-way mirror.

Download An Application in .PDF format

 

 

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