Program Announcement: Reading, Writing, and Language Development CFDA 84.324A

Program Officer:
Dr. Kristen Lauer
Kristen.Lauer@ed.gov
(202) 219-2126

Purpose

Through its Reading, Writing, and Language Development (Reading/Language) special education research program, the Institute intends to contribute to the improvement of reading, writing, and language skills for students with identified disabilities and to prevent the development of disabilities among students at risk for disabilities by (1) exploring malleable factors¹ (e.g., children's skills, instructional practices, curricula) that are associated with better reading, writing, or language outcomes for students with disabilities or students at risk for disabilities, as well as mediators or moderators of the relations between these factors and student outcomes, for the purpose of identifying potential targets of intervention; (2) developing innovative curricula, instructional approaches, or strategies for teaching reading, writing, or language skills to students with identified disabilities or students at risk for disabilities; (3) evaluating the efficacy of fully developed curricula, instructional approaches, or strategies for teaching reading, writing, or language skills to students with identified disabilities or students at risk for disabilities; (4) evaluating the effectiveness of curricula, instructional approaches, or strategies for teaching reading, writing, or language skills for students with disabilities or at risk for disabilities when implemented at scale; and (5) developing and validating reading, writing, or language assessments for students with disabilities or at risk for disabilities that are intended for use by practitioners in instructional settings.

The long-term outcome of this program will be an array of tools and strategies (e.g., assessments, instructional approaches) that have been documented to be effective for improving reading, writing, or language outcomes for students with identified disabilities and students at risk for disabilities from kindergarten through Grade 12.