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Abstract.
Parent tutoring offers potential as a means for assisting the large percentage of students who need to improve their reading skills. The primary purpose of this study was to examine the impact of a reading fluency intervention program when used by parents in the home during the summer months. Specifically, this study evaluated the effects of the Helping Early Literacy with Practice Strategies (HELPS) Program when implemented by parents with struggling readers. By use of a one-group pretest–posttest quasi-experimental design with the addition of two nonequivalent dependent variables, findings showed that students participating in the HELPS program significantly improved on four different measures of early reading, with effect sizes ranging from medium to large. Simultaneously, students did not show growth on nontargeted skills, as measured with the nonequivalent dependent variables. Parents also showed strong implementation integrity of the HELPS program and reported high acceptability. The implications of these findings and future research directions are discussed, including how the HELPS program may help to prevent summer learning loss.
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Notes on contributors
Courtney Mitchell
Courtney Mitchell, PhD, is a school psychologist with Onslow County Schools in Jacksonville, North Carolina. She received her doctorate from North Carolina State University and has conducted research in the areas of reading interventions, teacher training, treatment integrity, and working with families to promote students' academic success.
John C. Begeny
John C. Begeny, PhD, is an associate professor of school psychology at North Carolina State University. He is also the founder and director of the Helps Education Fund, a 501(c)3 nonprofit organization that offers various forms of free and research-based support for educators and parents. Most recently, his research and writing have centered on the areas of systems change in schools, effective community–university partnerships, academic interventions, merging research with educational practice, and international education.