The StudyDog Reading Scholarship Program, funded by the Renaissance Foundation, provides Internet reading instruction to kindergarten through third-grade children from low-income families and who are struggling to learn to read. The scholarship children showed very strong results, improving their reading skill performance at each of the three levels of the StudyDog lessons.

August 1, 2005 -- This past school year, 631 children received StudyDog scholarships. These children were recommended by their teachers as struggling, or at-risk of struggling, to learn to read. Additionally, all of the children were from low-income families, a requirement for the scholarships. Most of the scholarship children in first through third grade were enrolled below their grade levels.

"The scholarship children showed very strong results, improving their reading skill performance at each of the three levels of the StudyDog lessons," said Dr. Dean Arrasmith, StudyDog's Chief Learning Officer. "In our seminal scientific study of children's StudyDog reading performance completed last year, we found StudyDog accounted for more than two-thirds of a standard deviation of reading growth over a randomly assigned control group, reflecting gains of approximately 10 percentile points. This pre- and post-test analysis builds additional support for the strength of StudyDog to engage and teach children basic reading skills."

Teachers are universally supportive of StudyDog lessons, as a supplement their reading instruction. "We are currently using StudyDog with approximately fifty of our Kindergarten and First grade students, including many who have limited English language skills. Our children have found the StudyDog lessons highly engaging and they eagerly look forward to working with the StudyDog characters. Our teachers love being able to use StudyDog to supplement their regular classroom instruction. Our experiences with StudyDog have been very positive. I would highly recommend StudyDog to other early childhood programs," says Brenda Coats, Title 1 Reading Specialist at Dry Hollow Elementary School.

StudyDog delivers essential reading instruction through an innovative online system that is personalized for the child and guided by a Reading Specialist. Fifteen minute online lessons three to five times per week teach key reading skills identified by the National Reading Panel and other reading experts. Students enjoy the program because of its engaging design and format, and the prizes awarded to the students as they progress. Through an initial reading assessment, StudyDog builds a customized curriculum for each student to address his/her specific challenges. Teachers and parents receive online reports of the child's progress.

To receive these scholarships, Kindergarten thru second grade teachers and reading specialists can submit applications on behalf of those students who can best benefit from one-on-one instruction and tutoring. Students must be eligible for free or reduced rate school lunches.

The Renaissance Foundation seeks to make a significant difference in the lives of people in need. It focuses grants in the areas of education, social and medical services. Trustees are Irving Levin and Stephanie Fowler.

StudyDog is a company that believes that success in life starts with being able to read. Our mission is to help all children become healthy readers. We will fulfill our mission by leveraging technology. For more information about StudyDog Scholarships, contact darrasmith@studydog.com. Also, visit their web site at www.StudyDog.com.