Alphabet knowledge is a basic building block for early reading and writing. Children who learn the forms, names and sounds of letters during early childhood are less likely to experience reading difficulties later in school. See highlights of Crane Center research and find resources for assessing and teaching the alphabet.

STAR Read-Aloud Practices are designed to develop and strengthen young children’s awareness of and knowledge about print. They utilize evidence-based reading techniques developed from years of research.

A practitioner-friendly, scientifically based curricular supplement designed to develop and strengthen young children’s early foundations in language and literacy. Lessons are organized around adult-child readings of high-quality storybooks and supplement – not replace – an educator’s instruction. It is widely used in early childhood programs in the United States and internationally.

SABR measured the quality of teacher behaviors during shared book-reading sessions. In this four-year study, the tool was revised to improve training materials and scoring protocols at no cost online.

1,200 children in four states were followed longitudinally over five years in a LAARC study designed to substantially increase our understanding of language- and reading-comprehension development for children from pre-kindergarten to third grade. During the study, the LARRC team also developed a 25-week curriculum supplement designed to improve language skills to improve reading comprehension.