factors affecting language dev.

Recommendations for Research to Improve Reading Achievement for African American Students

By: Lamont A. Flowers (2007)

This article includes research recommendations in the areas of standardized testing, teacher quality, after-school programs, parent involvement, reading and study skills, and computer games and simulations.

There is little debate among researchers, policymakers, and educational stakeholders that reading achievement among African American students is an important issue (Strickland, 1994). For example, Paul (2000) advanced the view that teachers and parents of African American students do not spend adequate time focusing on reading materials that students value. Further, Craig, Connor, and Washington (2003) contend that African American students are more likely to read below the levels of their peers and recommend that early language and literacy development take place during the preschool years. In another study, Charity, Scarborough, and Griffin (2004) found that African American students who are familiar with school-based communication and speech patterns had higher achievement in reading in the early grades.

While several scholars have contributed greatly to the research literature on matters pertaining to African American students and reading (e.g., Edwards, 2004; Entwisle & Alexander, 1988; Flowers, 2003; Hale, 2001; Thompson, 2004), additional research is needed to examine in greater detail the factors that influence these students' achievement. Furthermore, research is needed to support the development of appropriate strategies and dispositions required for African American students to become proficient readers.

Despite some recent gains among African American students, data from statewide and national tests indicate that reading achievement gaps by race still persist among the nation's school children. For example, results of the 2005 National Assessment of Educational Progress indicated that the average reading scale score for African American eighth graders was 243 while the average for white eighth graders was 271 (Perie, Grigg, & Donahue, 2005). Data from the Educational Longitudinal Study of 2002 show similar results (Ingels et al., 2005): African American tenthgraders were less likely to score at the highest level, where advanced skills in the ability to analyze text and make judgments based on a comprehensive set of information are demonstrated. These data also suggest that, on average, African American students score at a lower proficiency level than white students, and they are equally likely to score lower than students from other racial and ethnic groups. Taken as a whole, the results are somewhat mixed. While there is some evidence suggesting that the achievement gap in reading between African American and white students may be narrowing, there is little evidence to show that it is likely to disappear altogether.

To assist researchers in examining African American students' reading achievement, this article highlights promising areas of research and related educational practice, some of which are currently overlooked in relation to this student group. I offer several recommendations for reading researchers, categorized by the following themes: (1) standardized testing, (2) teacher quality, (3) after-school programs, (4) parent involvement, (5) reading and study skills, and (6) computer games and simulations. The strength of the recommendations is in their collective implementation; that is, no single research study, teaching method, or reading strategy will have the same impact as an array of strategies implemented by a number of constituent groups working together in cooperation to achieve a common goal.

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