In keeping with the Bush administration's goal of using evidence-based research to enhance educational practices in the nation's schools, the U.S. Department of Education is requesting applications to conduct studies on reading comprehension and how it is taught and assessed.

"Ultimately, what we want to do with this program is lay a scientific framework for teaching and learning methods by supporting research on reading comprehension that could improve students' academic achievement," said Grover "Russ" Whitehurst, U.S. assistant secretary for the Office of Educational Research and Improvement. "We need more research in this area. Although we know a great deal about how children learn the alphabetic code, we know far less about how children read and learn from subject matter texts in areas such as science and history."

With this in mind, the Program of Research on Reading Comprehension is designed to expand scientific knowledge of how students develop proficient reading comprehension, how it is most effectively taught, and how it can be assessed.

The notice for applications for this program was published in the April 10 Federal Register. Deadline for applications is May 31.

The department expects to make 10 awards, ranging from $75,000 to $500,000 for the first year. Grantees will have up to three years to conduct their research and up to $4.5 million is available for the program this fiscal year.

Eligible applicants include public and private organizations, institutions of higher education, state and local education agencies, and regional education laboratories.

For further information on the request for applications for the 2002 Program of Research on Reading Comprehension, visit the Department of Education's Web site at http://www.ed.gov/legislation/FedRegister/.

For non-media inquiries, contact Anne P. Sweet or Rita Foy Moss, U.S. Department of Education, 555 New Jersey Avenue, N.W., Washington, DC 20208-5573. Telephone: (202)-219-0610, e-mail: PRRCinfo@ed.gov.

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