Education and Human Sciences, College of (CEHS)
Date of this Version
March 2006
Abstract
Project RAISE is a federally funded Arts Education Model Program Development and Dissemination Grant (AEMPDD). The proposal was granted funding for three years from 2001-2002 until 2003-2004. The proposal had two strands, one investigating the impact of a visual art strategy and the second examining the impact of Readers Theatre on reading comprehension. Findings show that: Students whose teachers used the program with high fidelity outperformed low fidelity classrooms in writing performance, aesthetic response writing, and the California Standards Test (CST) in English Language Arts. Teachers who adapted the program to their own context maintained involvement and their students tended to out perform other teachers who did not contextualize the program. Teachers reported that the program increased student motivation and improved writing and this was supported in the data. Readers Theatre does have a positive impact on student’s reading achievement in terms of comprehension and fluency. Readers Theatre was difficult to implement in classrooms due to time constraints and preparation needed. This impacted the fidelity and sustainability.