Persistent literacy gaps at the elementary level remain a critical concern in basic education, particularly in contexts where learners face varied linguistic, socio-economic, and instructional constraints; within this landscape, reading programs play a vital contributory role in strengthening foundational literacy skills, alongside other language and learning interventions. This study examined the instructional outcomes, instructional strategies, and implementation challenges of reading programs in public elementary schools in the Bagamanoc North and South Districts, Philippines. Employing a descriptive correlational research design, data were collected from 83 elementary teachers through proportionate stratified sampling using a validated questionnaire with high reliability (Cronbach’s alpha = .897). Weighted means were used to assess teachers’ perceptions of instructional outcomes, instructional strategies, and implementation challenges, while Pearson’s r determined the relationships among the variables. Findings revealed that reading programs contributed to high instructional outcomes, particularly in reading comprehension, vocabulary development, and learner motivation. Instructional strategies most notably teacher-directed, differentiated, peer-assisted, and technology-supported approaches were frequently utilized and rated highly by teachers. Implementation challenges were experienced at a moderate level, with limited parental support, increased workload, and insufficient access to instructional resources emerging as recurring concerns. Correlation analysis demonstrated a strong positive relationship between instructional strategies and instructional outcomes, a moderate relationship between implementation challenges and instructional outcomes, and no significant relationship between instructional strategies and implementation challenges. These results highlight the central role of effective instructional strategies in enhancing the contribution of reading programs to literacy development despite contextual constraints. An evidence-based action plan is proposed to strengthen teacher capacity, mitigate systemic challenges, and promote the sustainability of elementary reading initiatives in resource-constrained settings.

Keywords: reading programs, literacy development, instructional outcomes, instructional strategies, implementation challenges, elementary education, Bagamanoc, Philippines