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The Boost for reading

Author

Listed:
  • Holmlund, Helena

    (IFAU - Institute for Evaluation of Labour Market and Education Policy)

  • Häggblom, Josefin

    (IFAU - Institute for Evaluation of Labour Market and Education Policy)

  • Lindahl, Erica

    (IFAU - Institute for Evaluation of Labour Market and Education Policy)

Abstract

We evaluate the “Boost for Reading”, an in-service training program for teachers aimed at improving the teaching of literacy and boosting students’ reading and writing proficiency. The program provides research summaries about teaching strategies as a basis for group-based discussion, lesson preparations and evaluations under the supervision of a coach. The program was rolled out across Swedish compulsory schools in school years 2015/16–2017/18. We analyze the effects of the intervention using a staggered difference-in-differences strategy excluding treated schools as controls. We find that in lower secondary school, the program shifted the teaching towards a stronger focus on “reading strategies” and raised student test scores in the Swedish language, social study subjects, and science studies by on average 2–5 percent of a standard deviation, respectively. However, we find no effects on teaching practices at stage 1, and accordingly, no effects on the youngest students’ test scores.

Suggested Citation

  • Holmlund, Helena & Häggblom, Josefin & Lindahl, Erica, 2024. "The Boost for reading," Working Paper Series 2024:6, IFAU - Institute for Evaluation of Labour Market and Education Policy.
    • Handle: RePEc:hhs:ifauwp:2024_006
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    References listed on IDEAS

    as
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    More about this item

    Keywords

    teacher training; professional development; literacy;
    All these keywords.

    JEL classification:

    • I20 - Health, Education, and Welfare - - Education - - - General
    • I28 - Health, Education, and Welfare - - Education - - - Government Policy

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