Status of Reading
Instruction Institute
The International Reading Association created the Status of Reading Instruction Institute to provide accurate and detailed descriptions of effective reading practices in the United States and around the world. The mission of the Institute is to support increased literacy skills for all students by providing objective, reliable information about effective reading instruction for parents, teachers, other professional educators, and policymakers.
The Institute will address this mission by:
- Encouraging use of existing datasets to inform the improvement of instruction in reading and language arts.
- Conducting new studies as needed to fill important gaps in our knowledge about reading instruction and student achievement.
- Encouraging other governmental and research organizations to gather information needed to provide a complete picture of literacy instruction, student achievement, and student growth at all grade levels.
- Providing publications that meet the needs of a variety of constituents.
Initially, the Institute will give priority to research on reading instruction in the United States. Once the Institute is established it will also address reading instruction around the world.
The Institute is guided in its mission by a research advisory group comprised of recognized and experienced reading and research experts and directed by Karen Douglas
Teachers and Principals Advisory Groups
The perspectives and experiences of our members who are currently working in American schools is vital to the success and utility of the Institute’s activities.
Our goal is for each group to represent the diversity found in American schools and classrooms, so we have assembled a group that includes IRA members working at the elementary level, in a variety of school settings, with varying years of experience and cultural backgrounds.
The Teacher Advisory Group and the School Administrator Advisory Group is comprised of experienced teachers and school administrators and directed by Karen Douglas.
School Administrator Advisory Board
- LaQuanda Brown – King-Danforth Elementary, Macon, GA
- Sharon DeCarlo – Hopkinton Public School, Hopkinton, MA
- Peter Lancia – Congin Elementary School, Westbrook, ME
- James D. Phillips – Hardin County Schools, Elizabethtwon, KY
- Irma Phillips – Burleson Elementary, El Paso, TX
- Kim Wright – Capshaw Elementary School, Cookeville, TN
Teacher Advisory Group
- Carol Bivins – P.H. Miller Elementary School, Plano, IL
- Christine Chesser – Shiloh Point Elementary School, Cumming, GA
- Allison Cummons – Mt. Sterling Elementary School, Mt. Sterling, OH
- Mary Dunson – Moncure School, Chathman County, NC
- Anna Marie Juola-Rushton – Annie Lucy Williams Elementary School, Parrish, FL
- Terry Newman – Cumberland Valley School District, Mechanicsburg, PA
- Colleen Pennell – Riverside School, Menomonee Falls, WI
- Karen Phillips – Britt Elementary School, Snellville, GA
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Jacque Lynn Ross – Charlotte County Public Schools, Port Charlotte, FL
- Ritashona Simpson – Harlem International Community School, New York City, NY
Description of Reading Instruction Study
The first step in improving reading instruction is to provide rigorous and accurate descriptions of how reading is being taught in the classroom. Toward that end, the Institute is sponsoring a study of reading instruction in a nationally representative sample of first and fourth grade classrooms in the United States. This description will form the foundation for further study of what constitutes effective reading instruction.
The DRI Study will include both teacher surveys and classroom observations. The survey portion of the study will be lead by Dr. Brian Rowan at the Institute for Social Research at the University of Michigan. The first phase of the study will include extensive development and validation activities. Findings will be released at the 2011 IRA Convention.
Teaching Reading Well: A Synthesis
The importance of preparing teachers to implement effective reading instruction is addressed in the first product of the Institute: Teaching Reading Well: A Synthesis of the International Reading Association's Research on Teacher Preparation for Reading InstructionThis report summarizes a thorough review of the preparation of classroom teachers in reading through two IRA initiatives: the National Commission on Excellence in Elementary Teacher Preparation for Reading Instruction, and the Teacher Education Task Force. The synthesis identifies six essential features for creating and sustaining preparation programs that produce teachers who teach reading well. It also provides examples of teacher preparation programs that exemplify these features. This report is currently available for free download on this site.
News:
Institute activities will be featured at both the Reading Research Conference and the IRA Convention in May of 2008. Check the conference websites for more details.
Teaching Tools
Issues in Literacy