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Teaching Needy Kids in Our Backward System eBook

Teaching Needy Kids in Our Backward System eBook

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Table of Contents and Forward
Chapter 5

Teaching Needy Kids in Our Backward System documents the often outrageous experiences of a man some consider the most important educator ever, Siegfried “Zig” Engelmann. Through a tapestry of vignettes that span the 60s through 06, Professor Engelmann describes the battles he has fought to provide effective instruction for at-risk kids, particularly children from poverty.

The most incredible of Engelmann’s battles occurred in Project Follow Through, the largest and most definitive educational experiment ever conducted, involving 180 communities and over 200,000 at-risk children in grades kindergarten through 3. To discover which approach was most effective, Follow Through installed and tested 22 models of teaching disadvantaged children from 1968 to 1977. The models covered the spectrum of approaches in schools today, from discovery-oriented to those based on behavioral principles of reinforcement.

The evaluation measured the children’s achievements in reading, math, language, and spelling. The study was also designed to discover which models were superior in teaching basic skills and which excelled in teaching higher-order thinking skills, also which models had kids with the strongest sense of personal responsibility, and which kids had the highest self-images. The results astounded educators and made a mockery of their predictions.

There were not various winners, but only one winner, and that one excelled in every category measured. The winning model was designed by Zig Engelmann and his colleagues – Direct Instruction.

Why haven’t you heard about Follow Through, Direct Instruction, or Zig Engelmann? Because Follow Through outcomes were never disseminated, never made public, and never used to influence educational decision making. Why would the Feds spend half a billion to fund Follow Through and never disseminate the results? Read the book and discover the astonishing truths.

Author: Siegfried Engelmann
Copyright: 2007
ISBN: 9781880183007
Format: Hardback

Which best describes your role?

Curriculum Decision Maker
School and District Leader

Interested in learning how to implement Direct Instruction in your district, school, or home? NIFDI can help. Click a button below to learn more. 

Leaders
Teachers
Parents
What is a Peer Coach?

Peer coaches play a critical role in sustaining strong implementation of Direct Instruction (DI) at the school level. Selected during the first year of implementation, peer coaches are classroom teachers who demonstrate strong instructional practice, effective communication with colleagues, and a willingness to support others. Because they teach the same programs as their peers, they bring practical expertise and shared experience that help build trust and collaboration across the school.

As implementation progresses, peer coaches extend the impact of NIFDI consultants by providing ongoing, school-based support when consultants are not on-site. Their coaching is non-evaluative and focused on improving student outcomes. Peer coaches reinforce effective teaching practices and guide colleagues to make targeted adjustments that directly impact student performance and behavior.

Peer coaches participate in a structured, multi-year training sequence through NIFDI. Over the course of two to three years, they are trained to analyze student performance data, conduct both brief and extended classroom observations, and support data-driven problem solving. Advanced training prepares them to lead grade-level meetings and contribute to broader instructional planning with school leadership.

By developing peer coaches, schools build internal capacity to maintain and strengthen DI implementation over time—ensuring continuity, supporting new staff, and driving sustained student achievement.