The Partners

The Partnership for Reading represents the collaborative effort of three agencies that share a common mission to enrich and inform the American educational system with evidence-based reading research.

The National Institute for Literacy (NIFL), an independent federal organization, supports the development of high-quality state, regional, and national literacy services so that all Americans can develop the literacy skills they need to succeed at in school, at work, at home, and in the community. NIFL seeks to improve literacy services through its partnerships, programs, and communications. NIFL collaborates with federal agencies, non-profits, and private sector organizations to raise the visibility of literacy and bring additional resources to bear on challenges facing the field. Its programs contribute to our knowledge of teaching adults with learning disabilities, support the development of new assessments, and promote system reform and accountability. NIFL's communications efforts make curriculum materials available online and provide information about literacy, literacy policy and current issues accessible to all. Visit NIFL at www.nifl.gov.

The National Institute of Child Health and Human Development
The National Institute of Child Health and Human Development (NICHD) has supported research on the reading process for three and a half decades as part of the Institute's overall mission to assure that every individual has the opportunity to fulfill his or her potential for a healthy, productive life. The NICHD, part of the National Institutes of Health, recognizes the failure to learn to read as a public health problem. The Child Development and Behavioral Branch within the Institute manages the largest reading research program in the world. The research it supports investigates the critical environmental, experiential, cognitive, genetic, neurobiological, and instructional conditions that foster strong reading development. In addition, the studies examine the possible origins of reading failure, the risk factors that predispose young children to reading failure, and the instructional methods that improve reading deficits at the earliest possible time. Measurement development, intervention and prevention research are also supported. New programs address the development of English literacy in children who are not native speakers of English, early learning and school readiness, adult and family literacy, and adolescent literacy. Visit the NICHD at www.nichd.nih.gov.

The U.S. Department of Education
The U.S. Department of Education provides national leadership to address critical issues in American education. Under President Bush, the Department has launched a new major initiative called Reading First to improve the reading skills and achievement of all America's children by encouraging instruction based on solid scientific research. The Department also administers programs to ensure equal access to high-quality education to make sure that no child is left behind. To that end, a significant part of the Department's budget is devoted to postsecondary education and student aid. The Department also works to remove barriers for those with disabilities and enforce laws that prohibit discrimination by recipients of federal funds. It also collects and shares information on educational research and statistics, effective practices, student performance, and the effectiveness of federally-funded programs. For more information, visit the U.S. Department of Education's web site at www.ed.gov.