Where Do We Go from Here? Comments from the Research Team: How Can You Apply What We Learned to Your Own After-School Reading Program?

How can we improve reading instruction nationwide? The methods that work to teach children to read are well understood. Since the political and economic pressures on schools are so great, it seems unlikely that schools will change. After-school community programs are most likely the answer to helping children learn to read. There is no limit to what we can accomplish if we put disproven, wrong ideas aside and work for the best interests of children. This chapter gives five steps that can lead to success.