WWC Releases Reports on Adolescent Literacy and Early Childhood Education

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The What Works Clearinghouse (WWC) has released three new reports this week that review the research on education programs, curricula, and strategies.

Adolescent Literacy

Fast ForWord® is a computer-based reading program intended to help students develop and strengthen phonemic and phonological awareness, vocabulary, comprehension, fluency, and memory skills for successful reading and learning. The WWC reviewed 305 studies on Fast ForWord® for adolescent learners and found two that meet WWC evidence standards and six that meet evidence standards with reservations. The eight studies included about 2,000 students who attended schools in the United States and Australia. Based on these eight studies, the WWC found Fast ForWord® to have no discernible effects on alphabetics and general literacy achievement. However, the WWC found Fast ForWord® to have potentially positive effects on reading fluency and comprehension for adolescent learners.

Read the full WWC report.


Cooperative Integrated Reading and Composition® is a reading and writing program for students in grades 2 through 6 that includes story-related activities, direct instruction in reading comprehension, and integrated language arts/writing. The WWC reviewed 52 studies of Cooperative Integrated Reading and Composition® for adolescent learners and two studies meet WWC evidence standards with reservations. The two studies included approximately 1,460 students in grades 2 through 6 who attended nine schools located in two school districts in the United States. Based on these two studies, the WWC found the program to have potentially positive effects on comprehension and general literacy achievement for adolescent learners.

Read the full WWC report.

Early Childhood Education

Ladders to Literacy is a supplemental early literacy curriculum composed of more than 70 activities designed to develop children’s print/book awareness, meta-linguistic awareness (the ability to reflect on the use of language), and oral language skills. The WWC reviewed eight studies on Ladders to Literacy for preschool children. One study meets WWC evidence standards and one study meets standards with reservations. The two studies included 139 preschool children from 26 preschool classrooms in southern New Hampshire. Based on these two studies, the WWC found Ladders to Literacy to have potentially negative effects on oral language and no discernible effects on print knowledge, phonological processing, and math for preschool children.

Read the full WWC report.

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