Hello.
Here is a short summary of what we have learned related to the Shared Reading Project. Lori Lutz (
lori.lutz@gallaudet.edu) developed this, and I thought some of you would like to have this information. -David Schleper, Clerc Center
Each year, the Shared Reading Project directory survey is sent to all individuals who have completed the one-week Keys to Success Training for Site Coordinators. The survey asks them to update their contact information, indicate whether or not they want to be identified as a SRP site, and to report the number of SRP families they served. Based on the 2005-06 survey responses:
Twenty-nine schools, programs, organizations, and others identified themselves as a SRP site for the 2005-06 school year.
— Mid-Atlantic Region – 4 SRP sites [DC, MD, and PA]
— West Region – 9 SRP sites [AZ, CA, CO, NM, and UT]
— Midwest Region – 8 SRP sites [KS, MI, MN, MO, and WI]
— Southeast Region – 4 SRP sites [FL and KY]
— Northeast Region – 4 SRP sites [MA, NY, & VT]
Sixteen of 29 SRP sites reported on the number of SRP families they served. These 16 SRP sites served a total of 187 SRP families.
Different evaluations were conducted to assess the outcomes of the Shared Reading Project. The SRP process and outcome evaluation [1998-2001], focused on five expansion sites and utilized both qualitative and quantitative measures of implementation and family outcomes. Some reported family outcomes were:
— Participating families shared books an average of 5.2 times a week, in comparison to the reported findings by the 1996 National Household Education Survey that 83% of 3- to 5-year-old children in the general population were read to three or more times a week by a family member.
— Families who shared books frequently during the early weeks also tended to share books at similar rates near the end of the tutoring period.
— Higher booksharing rates were associated with families who used a language other than English, families with several adults living in the home, fewer booksharing problems before participation in Shared Reading Project, familiarity with relay, and participation in more Shared Reading Project sessions.
— Participating parents reported improved sign language skills and increased communication with deaf and hard of hearing children.
— As parents learned more attention-getting and book-sharing strategies, their children’s attention seemed to increase.
The Clerc Center evaluated the Shared Reading Project: Keys to Success training to assess its impact on training participants six months and one year after training. Surveys were used to collect quantitative and qualitative information about training participants’ experiences in implementing a Shared Reading Project. The follow-up surveys were sent to people who completed Keys training during the years 1999-2003. From the year follow-up evaluation, we learned about different types of family change. Those survey respondents who successfully set up SRP talked about changes they observed in participating families and children:
— Reading -- Families increased the frequency with which they read books to their children, changed how they read with their children, and perceived their ability to read to their deaf children differently.
— Sign language -- Parents learned more signs, increased their vocabulary, and improved their signing skills. Parents’ level of confidence in their skills increased as well.
— Communication – Several SRP coordinators indicated that communication in families improved.
— Knowledge of child development – One SRP coordinator reported that parents seemed to learn more about what to expect as their child grew.
These findings are some of the most recent data we have on the Shared Reading Project.
