The Commission on Reading Research

The National Institute for Literacy has announced the creation of a national panel to review research on how children learn to read. The Institute is charging the Commission on Reading Research with assessing the current status of research-based knowledge on how students in kindergarten through grade 12 learn to read and the effectiveness of various approaches to teaching reading.

The Commission will investigate reading topics of its own choosing that include, but are not limited to, the topics addressed by the National Reading Panel (NRP). The Commission will formulate research questions about the selected topics and determine the most appropriate methodologies to use to answer the questions.

The Commission will consist of up to 12 members with established backgrounds in research on reading, education, and affiliated domains. Members will serve for a period of two years beginning with an inaugural meeting expected to be scheduled for summer 2007.

The Institute is pleased to continue facilitating the development of the scientific basis of reading instruction across the lifespan. Over the last several years, the Institute has been deeply involved with national literacy panels. It established two panels-the Reading Research Working Group on Adult Reading and the National Early Literacy Panel; and disseminated the NRP results and developed teacher- and parent-friendly products based on the NRP findings. In addition, the Institute provided support to the National Literacy Panel on Language Minority Children and Youth to conduct a preliminary literature review to determine if there was sufficient research to justify convening a national panel. Providing support to research panels is a primary means by which the Institute carries out its mandate under No Child Left Behind to disseminate findings from scientifically based reading research for adults, youth, and children.