Strategies for Supporting Implementation of a Kindergarten Supplemental Reading Curriculum

In this study, 8 kindergarten teachers implemented a supplemental reading curriculum with students at risk for reading difficulties and received support through the implementation strategies of professional learning sessions (PLS) and coaching. We sought to identify determinants of implementation and explore how teachers perceived the implementation strategies they received by analyzing observations of implementation, survey/questionnaire data, and interviews with teachers, coaches, and the PLS provider. Findings indicated that lack of time to prepare and deliver the curriculum on a regular basis was the primary barrier to implementation. Implementation strategies were perceived as helpful, with teachers indicating that the PLS successfully prepared them to implement the curriculum and the coaching they received was beneficial to their implementation. These findings offer some insight into providing implementation support strategies that are useful for teachers implementing a supplemental reading curriculum, but they also illustrate a need for further research on the topic.