The following project is one of five funded Collaboration projects:
PI: Rebecca Gotlieb (UCLA)
Co-Investigators: Mariah Pospisil, (UC/CSU Collaborative, UCSF) Virginia Sturm (UCSF)
Institutions/Organizations: UCLA, UCSF, Compton Unified School District, J3 Reading Club
Abstract: Fourth grade struggling readers, especially in high-poverty, urban schools, are at risk of experiencing substantial academic and social-emotional challenges, and possible future juvenile justice involvement. In a 1-year longitudinal intervention study in a high poverty, urban school district (Compton Unified School District), we aim to test immediate and delayed impacts of 4th grade struggling readers receiving near- peer reading and narrative skills tutoring. Synergistic with Dr. Gotlieb’s (UCLA) ongoing funded investigation, we hypothesize that 4th grade students who receive intervention will show sustained improvements in reading and social-emotional wellbeing and that effects may be strongest for students who receive support in a combination of both reading and narrative skill development. We will also assess whether Kindergarten through 2nd grade dyslexia-risk screening data (from Multitudes) predict 4th grade students’ performance on measures of reading, narrative skill, and affect, as well as their responsiveness to intervention. We will iteratively and collaboratively refine the intervention to enhance feasibility and cultural responsivity. Overall, this study could provide evidence for an inexpensive, durable, transformative means of improving key outcomes for students at a critical developmental time for staving off juvenile justice involvement and could suggest which students would benefit most from such intervention.
