The Partnership for Reading
September 2001
In April 2000, the National Reading Panel released Teaching Children to Read, its rigorous analysis of 100,000+ scientific studies concerning reading education. Put Reading First, by the Partnership for Reading (a collaborative effort of the National Institute for Literacy, the National Institute for Child Health and Human Development, and the U.S. Department of Education), summarizes the findings of that comprehensive study in non-technical language. Intended for teachers and parents, the new report stresses the value of an early start and analyzes five key areas of reading instruction: phonemic awareness, phonics, fluency, vocabulary, and text comprehension. Each section "defines the skill, reviews the evidence from research, suggests implications for classroom instruction, describes proven strategies for teaching reading skills, and addresses frequently raised questions." It's available at http://www.nifl.gov/partnershipforreading/publications/Cierra.pdf or by contacting The National Institute for Literacy at ED Pubs, PO Box 1398, Jessup, MD 20794-1398; 800-228-8813; [email protected]. The study upon which it's based, Teaching Children to Read, can be downloaded or ordered at the National Reading Panel website, http://ww.nationalreadingpanel.org.