TeacherRead

Our Partnership with the New York City Department of Education

We partnered with the New York City Department of Education for more than 5 years to conduct a rigorous study of TeacherRead in New York City’s Pre-K for All program.

Our Study in New York City

A total of 131 NYC Pre-K for All teachers and 726 students participated in the TeacherRead study. We randomly assigned classrooms to participate in either the treatment group, which received training and coaching in the TeacherRead approach, or the control group, in which teachers continued using their customary approach to reading books in the classroom. Trained field staff met one-on-one with participating children in the fall and spring of their pre-K year to assess their early language and literacy skills. 

Timeline

The TeacherRead study in New York City began in 2018 and collected data from students who participated in the Pre-K for All program during the 2018–19 and 2021–22 school years. 

Study Findings

• TeacherRead Improved Shared Book Reading Quality:
  • TeacherRead teachers used more literacy-related talk (talking about different aspects of print), teacher questioning talk, and talk related to child behavior.
• TeacherRead Improved Child Outcomes:
  • We assessed children at baseline (fall) and follow-up (spring) with measures of key early language and literacy skills–print knowledge, phonological awareness, and oral language.
  • Children who were in TeacherRead classrooms had better early language and literacy skills than children who were not in TeacherRead classrooms.
  • The version of TeacherRead that had teachers read to children in a whole-group setting had greater impacts on children's skills than the version that had teachers read to small groups.