Strengthening Early Literacy: Insights of Policy Modifications in the Implementation of the National Reading Program

This case study was conducted to determine the impact of a National Reading Program (NRP) in a public elementary school. This study is only limited to the teachers of a public school. The researchers used descriptive research design in this study. The researchers personally distributed and retrieved the instrument. The data gathered were classified and subjected for thematic analysis. The implementation of the National Reading Program was very effective in improving the skills of the struggling learners related to phonics, fluency, and vocabulary. However, teachers faced challenges because of lack of sufficient teaching resources, insufficient time for reading interventions, too crowded or large class sizes and lack of parental involvement. Despite the challenges, NRP have addressed the needs of struggling readers through the implementation of individualized instruction, differentiated materials, ample scaffolding, focused phonics and comprehension strategies, multisensory activities, and opportunities for repeated practice, allowing them to learn at their own pace with targeted support to overcome specific reading difficulties.