The efficacy of a literacy intervention for incarcerated adolescents

This randomized trial with repeated measures investigated the efficacy of a literacy intervention for low-performing readers in a juvenile corrections setting over a 31-month period. Students were randomly assigned to treatment (i.e., Read 180®) or treatment-as-usual (i.e., typical literacy program with computer instruction) conditions. Students were scheduled to receive 110-min of daily literacy instruction. The average total amount of instruction across both groups was 137 h. This article examines treatment effects using curriculum-based measures of comprehension, oral reading fluency, and spelling and standardized diagnostic reading and language assessments. Significant differences in favor of the treatment group were found with reading comprehension and language. Findings are discussed in the context of literacy instruction for male students in small long-term juvenile correctional facilities.