Issues and problems in remedial education

Children with reading and other education problems present for help to a wide variety of professionals from different disciplines. At present there appears to be a wide gulf between sophisticated assessments and effective remedial intervention. This paper examines some of the issues involed in providing and evaluating remedial education, and the issues of definition, measurement and prevalence; it is concluded that as many as 20 per cent of 10-year-olds in inner cities in the United Kingdom may require extra help with reading. The evidence suggests that, over-all, remedial help is not at present very effective. A concerted research programme is needed to identify effective approaches. Constructive suggestions are advanced whereby such a research programme would make a significant contribution to services for children with educational problems.