The Vocabulary Initiative: A Model for Vocabulary Instruction

Abstract

The U.S. currently has wide income and racial achievement gaps in reading. The disparity between African Americans or Hispanics and Caucasians is multiple grade levels; in other words, 13-year-old Caucasians' reading scores are equivalent to those of 17-year-old Hispanics or African Americans (Family Facts 2009). While this reading gap has multiple causes, the vocabulary disparity is one of the primary drivers. These vocabulary differences are present when students begin school and only widen in each successive school year. Additionally, vocabulary understanding is critical for reading comprehension and thus success on standardized tests and ultimately success in high school and college. It is clear, therefore, that if the nation
hopes to reduce the reading achievement gap and help boost college completion rates for lowincome and minority Americans, the vocabulary gap must be addressed.