Term
Spring 2026
Capstone
Capstone Project
Degree Name
MAT
Facilitator(s)
Shelley Orr
Abstract
The purpose of this project was to research the causes and effects of the reading comprehension decline in America. The research question: What is causing this decline, and how can we combat it? stemmed from personal interest in this topic and its relevancy in the school district I taught in. Research into this topic revealed factors such as texts lacking relevance to student lives, inaccurate comprehension measurement tools being used year after year, and the lifelong effects of lowered reading comprehension on adults’ lives after high school. In response to this need, a capstone project was developed that would provide educators with tools they could implement in their own classrooms to assist in improving reading comprehension. Additionally, two Professional Development (PD) sessions were created to aid in passing this information along to teachers.
Project Type
Website Creation and Professional Development
Keywords
Assessment, Literacy, Reading, Staff Development
Recommended Citation
Harris, Otto, "The Causes, Effects of, and Solutions to a Nation-Wide Reading Comprehension Decline and Answers to the Question of What Can Teachers Do About It?" (2026). School of Education and Leadership Student Capstone Projects. 1175.
https://digitalcommons.hamline.edu/hse_cp/1175
dc_type
text
dc_publisher
DigitalCommons@Hamline
dc_format
application/pdf
dc_source
School of Education Student Capstone Projects