Educators' perceptions on implementing direct reading instruction in Native American elementary schools

Abstract

The Bureau of Indian Education (BIE) established a System of Support program that included certain mandates for schools in restructuring and school improvement within the framework of the No Child Left Behind Act (NCLB). The Bureau operates 184 elementary schools and 24 colleges nationwide. Some of the schools are required to utilize scripted direct reading instruction programs to increase reading scores and student academic achievement in order to reach the required Annual Yearly Progress as outlined in the NCLB. The purpose of the present qualitative descriptive case study was to understand the perceptions of the school level educators regarding the mandates to implement direct reading instructional programs in a finite number of BIE schools in New Mexico. The study incorporated a descriptive case study design method to glean information from data collected via semistructured interviews, field notes, and available curriculum materials specific to the DI methodology for language acquisition. The study participants were drawn from three BIE schools and included three administrators, three reading coaches, and nine teaching faculty members. Four themes emerged from the results: (a) the appropriateness of the program for BIE schools, (b) DI relative to students’ academic achievement, (c) DI relative to the classroom experience, and (d) the effect of a mandated implementation. One conclusion was that educators’ perceptions about mandated instructional programs affect the success or failure of instructional curricula. The study provides an additional venue for future research regarding appropriate strategies to implement academic program.