From the Laboratory to Congress, to the White House to the

Classroom.
The NICHD Reading Research Program
and the
Birth of Evidence-Based Reading Instruction
Reading4all @ tx.rr.com




G. Reid Lyon, Ph.D.
Department of Education Policy and Leadership
Southern Methodist University
Distinguished Scholar in Neuroscience and Cognition Center
for Brain Health University of Texas, Dallas
President of Synergistic Education Solutions
www.ReidLyon.com
The Profession Through the Ages
The history of the profession has never been a particularly
attractive subject in professional education, and one reason for
this is that it is so deplorable a story.
For century after century all the way into the remote millennia
of its origins, the profession got along by sheer guesswork and
the crudest sort of empiricism. It is hard to conceive of a less
scientific enterprise among human endeavors.
Virtually anything that could be thought up for treatment
was tried out at one time or another, and once tried,
lasted decades or even centuries before giving it up.
It was, in retrospect, the most frivolous and irresponsible
kind of human experimentation, based on nothing but
trial and error, and usually resulting in precisely that
sequence.
Lewis Thomas (1983)
The Profession through the Age (Cont.)
Alternatives To Research-Based Instruction
ANECDOTES
UNTESTED BELIEFS ABOUT
TEACHING AND LEARNING
FADS, QUICK FIXES, AND APPEALS
TO AUTHORITY
STUDENT FAILURE
2007 National Assessment of Educational Progress
2007 National Assessment of Educational
Progress
20
Grade 4 Overall Reading/English Language Arts Performance
Texas Assessment of Knowledge and Skills (English language)
and NAEP (NCES, 2007)
2007 NAEP
Proficient
and Above
2007 NAEP
Basic and
Above
DOES IT HAVE TO BE THIS WAY?
NO!
We now know enough about Reading
Development and Reading Difficulties and
Reading Instruction to Significantly Decrease
Reading Failure!
THE NICHD READING RESEARCH PROGRAM:
RESEARCH DIRECTORS (1963- )
James
Kavanaugh
NO PIX
D. Grey
R. Lyon
P. McCardle B. Miller
The NICHD Reading Research
Program (1992)
The NICHD Reading Research Program
initiated in 1963
A Commitment to Focus on Four Research
Questions (Reids Questions):
How Do Children Learn to Read?
Why Do Some Children Have Difficulties Learning To Read?
How Can Reading Failure Be Prevented?
How Can Persistent Reading Difficulties be Remediated?
THE NICHD SCIENTIFIC INVESTMENT
Number of Research Sites: 44
Children and Adults Studied: 57,000
Proficient Readers: 22,000
At-Risk/Struggling Readers 35,000
Average Years Studied/Followed: 9
Max Longitudinal Span to Date: 34 years
Current Prevention/Intervention Trials 12
Schools Currently Participating: 266
Classrooms Currently Participating: 985
Classroom Teachers Participating: 1,012
Annual Research Budget: $ 60 Million
NIH-NICHD Multidisciplinary Research
Program
(North America; Lyon, 1985-2005)
NICHD Sites
U of Arkansas
Med Ctr
Dykman
U of
Missouri
Geary
Colorado
LDRC
Defries
U of Michigan
Morrison
Toronto
Lovett
U of Louisville
Molfese
Mayo
Clinic
Kalusic
Boys Town
Smith
U of Houston
Francis
SUNY Albany
Vellutino
U of California San Diego,
Salk Institute
Bellugi
U of Texas
Med Ctr
Foorman/Fletcher
Yale
Methodology
Fletcher
Emerson College
Aram
Tufts
Wolf
Syracuse U
Blachman
U of
Massachusetts
Rayner
Beth Israel
Galaburda
Childrens
Hospital/
Harvard LDRC
Waber
Florida State
Torgesen/Wagner
U of
Washington
Berninger
Stanford
Reiss
U of Southern California
Manis/Seidenberg
Univ of California Irvine
Filipek
Bowman
Gray
Wood
Georgetown U
Eden
D.C./Houston
Forman/Moats
Johns
Hopkins
Denckla
Haskins
Labs
Fowler/
Liberman
Yale
Shaywitz
Purdue U
Hynd
Univ of Florida
Alexander/Conway
Georgia
State
R. Morris
San
Francisco
Herron
U of
Kansas
Shumaker
U of Wisconsin
Johnson-Glenburg
Northwestern U
Booth
Gallaudet U
LaSasso
Duke U
Goldston
U of Georgia
Stahl
Colorado
Moats
U of Texas
Vaughn
Rutgers U
Scarboro-
ugh
Carnegie-Mellon
I didn't know it was impossible when I did it."
--Anonymous
I didn't know it was impossible when I did it."
--Anonymous
I didn't know it was impossible when I did it."
--Anonymous
The Science
I didn't know it was impossible when I did it."
--Anonymous
I didn't know it was impossible when I did it."
--Anonymous
I didn't know it was impossible when I did it."
--Anonymous
NICHD Perspective NICHD Perspective
Americans are overwhelmingly interested in science but
dont understand it and know even less about how it is
done. Without a grasp of scientific ways of thinking,
the average person cannot tell the difference between
science based on real data and something that
resembles science -- at least in their eyes -- but is based
on uncontrolled experiments, anecdotal evidence, and
passionate assertions. They like it all.
Boyce Rensberger, The Nature of Evidence, Science, July 7, 2000, p. 61
How Do Children Learn To Read?
Phonological Awareness and The Alphabetic Principle
Print represents speech through the alphabet
Words are composed of internal units based on sound called
phonemes
In learning to read, children must make explicit an implicit
understanding that words have internal structures linked to
sounds
Children vary considerably in how easily they master this
principle
THE HASKINS GROUP
Al Liberman Isabelle Liberman I. Mattingly D.Shankweiler M. Studdert-Kennedy
C. Fowler K. Pugh M. Turvey H. Scarborough S. Brady
P. Rubin R. Frost L. Katz E. Mencl M. Gillis
THE UNIVERSITY OF COLORADO GROUP
J. DeFries R. Olson S. Smith B. Wise
B. Pennington B. Byrne
Marilyn Adams
The Alphabetic Principle:
Do We Know It?
Can We Teach It?
It is a kind of knowledge
Knowing what letters are used to represent which
phonemes.
It is a kind of skill
know how to pronounce this nonsense word. . .
bilt fratchet
How Do Children Learn to Read?
Effects of growth in Phoneme Awareness and Letter
Knowledge
Growth in word reading ability
of children who begin 1
st
grade in the bottom 20% in
Growth in phonics ability
1 2 3 4 5
2.3
Grade Level Corresponding to Age
R
e
a
d
i
n
g

G
r
a
d
e

L
e
v
e
l

Average
2
4
6
1
3
5
K
5.9
Averagee
Low
5.7
3.5
2
4
6
1
3
5
K
1 2 3 4
Grade Level Corresponding to Age
5
Torgesen & Mathes, 2000
7 7
Low
Average
R
e
a
d
i
n
g

G
r
a
d
e

L
e
v
e
l

Average
Low
2
4
6
1
3
5
6.9
3.4
K
1 2 3 4
Grade Level Corresponding to Age
5
Torgesen & Mathes, 2000
Effects of Phonemic Awareness and Phonics on
Growth in Reading Comprehension
7
THE FLORIDA STATE GROUP
J. Torgesen B. Foorman R. Wagner C. Schatschneider
C. Lonnigan P. Mathes
Reading Fluency
Reading fluency encompasses the speed or rate of reading, as
well as the ability to read materials with expression.
The ability to read connected text rapidly, smoothly, effortlessly,
and automatically with little conscious attention to the mechanics
of reading, such as decoding
The concept of automaticity refers to a student's ability to
recognize words rapidly with little attention required to the word's
appearance. The ability to read words by sight automatically is the
key to skilled reading
Reading Fluency
Its very difficult to correctly guess the identity of these new
words from the context of the passage.
Torgesen
I didn't know it was impossible when I did it."
--Anonymous
I didn't know it was impossible when I did it."
--Anonymous
I didn't know it was impossible when I did it."
--Anonymous
NICHD Perspective NICHD Perspective
The challenge of continuing growth in fluency becomes even
greater after 3
rd
grade.
4
th
, 5
th
, and 6
th
graders encounter about 10,000 words they
have never seen before in print during a years worth of
reading.
Furthermore, each of these new words occurs only about
10 times in a years worth of reading.
R. Morris M. Lovett M. Wolf
THE GEORGIA STATE/U. TORONTO/TUFTS GROUP
Marilyn Adams
Probability of Limited Language Usage in the Home
Probability of Limited Literacy Interactions in the
Home
Probability of Limited Vocabulary Development
I didn't know it was impossible when I did it."
--Anonymous
I didn't know it was impossible when I did it."
--Anonymous
I didn't know it was impossible when I did it."
--Anonymous
THE AGONY OF DISADVANTAGE
Average child from a welfare family hears about 3
million words a year vs. 11 million from a
professional family (Hart & Risley, 1995).
By age 4, the gap in words heard grows to 13 vs. 45
million
I didn't know it was impossible when I did it."
--Anonymous
I didn't know it was impossible when I did it."
--Anonymous
I didn't know it was impossible when I did it."
--Anonymous
Differences in vocabulary development
start very early
Cumulative Language Experiences
Cumulative Words
Spoken to Child
(in millions)
0
10
20
30
40
50
0 12 24 36 48
Age of Child (in months)
Professional
Working-class
Welfare
48
30
12
12
7.5
3
Hart and Risley, 1995
Practical Differences
I didn't know it was impossible when I did it."
--Anonymous
Children enter school with a listening vocabulary
ranging between 2500 to 5000.
First graders from higher SES groups know twice as
many words as lower SES children (Graves & Slater,
1987)
Vocabulary differences at grade 2 may last throughout
elementary school (Biemiller & Slonim, in press)
College entrants need about 11 to 14,000 root words
(meter in thermometer or centimeter)
5 6 7 8 9 10 11 12 13 14 15 16
16
15
14
13
12
11
10
9
8
7
6
5
Reading
Age Level
Chronological
Age
Low Oral Language
in Kindergarten
High Oral Language
in Kindergarten
Hirsch, 1996
The Effects of Weaknesses in Oral Language
on Reading Growth
5.2 years difference
In 1
st
and 2
nd
grade, children need to learn 800+ words per
year, about 2 per day
Children need to learn 2,000 to 3,000 new words each year
from 3
rd
grade onward, about 68 per day.
Research has shown that most typically developing
children need to encounter a word about 12 times before
they know it well enough to improve their comprehension.
4th, 5th, and 6th graders encounter about 10,000 words
they have never seen before in print during a years worth
of reading. Biemiller; Nagy & Anderson
Closing the Gap? Gut Check Time
G. Berninger R. Abbott W. Raskind T. Richards
D. Corina E. Aylward
THE UNIVERSITY OF WASHINGTON GROUP
Are you Really Serious About Closing
Achievement Gaps?
Independent Reading: Minutes Per Day Words Read Per Year
65.0 4,358,000
21.1 1,823,000
14.2 1,146,000
9.6 622,000
4.6 282,000
1.3 106,000
.1 8,000
Cunningham & Stanovich, 1999
The Rich Get Richer and the Poor Get Poorer
Reading is a multifaceted skill, gradually acquired over years of instruction and practice.
The Many Strands that are Woven into Skilled Reading
(Scarborough, 2001)
BACKGROUND KNOWLEDGE
VOCABULARY KNOWLEDGE
LANGUAGE STRUCTURES
VERBAL REASONING
LITERACY KNOWLEDGE
PHON. AWARENESS
DECODING (and SPELLING)
SIGHT RECOGNITION
LANGUAGE COMPREHENSION
WORD RECOGNITION
Skilled Reading- fluent
coordination of word
reading and
comprehension
processes
ALWAYS REMEMBER THIS:
I didn't know it was impossible when I did it."
--Anonymous
I didn't know it was impossible when I did it."
--Anonymous
I didn't know it was impossible when I did it."
--Anonymous
G. Berninger R. Abbott W. Raskind T. Richards
D. Corina E. Aylward
THE UNIVERSITY OF WASHINGTON GROUP
THE FLORIDA STATE GROUP
J. Torgesen B. Foorman R. Wagner C. Schatschneider
C. Lonnigan P. Mathes
INTERVENTION
Early Intervention is Possible
Risk characteristics present in Kindergarten & G1
Letter sound knowledge, phonological awareness,
oral language development
Assess all children and INTERVENE- first in the
classroom and then through supplemental
instruction
!"#"$%&'( *+ ,%-&(. !/+0.
B. Foorman J. Fletcher D. Francis K. Steubing
L. Moats A. Papanicalaou P. Mathes
The U. Texas Health Science Center/Houston Group
HOW CAN WE PREVENT READING
FAILURE?
Development of Sensitive and Valid Screening
Measures
Professional Development and Use of a Professional
Common Language
Implementation of Three-Tier Models
Continuous Assessment of Progress
Appreciation of School Leadership and Capacity
Factors
THE FLORIDA STATE GROUP
J. Torgesen B. Foorman R. Wagner C. Schatschneider
C. Lonnigan P. Mathes
Study Amt. of instruction Pre RX
Post RX
Foorman 174 hrs.- classroom 35% 6%
Felton 340 hrs. - groups of 8 32% 5%
Vellutino 35- 65 hrs. 1:1 tutoring 46% 7%
Torgesen 88 hrs. 1:1 tutoring 30% 4%
Torgesen 80 hrs. 1:3 tutoring 11% 2%
NICHD INTERVENTION STUDIES
Percent of children scoring below the 30th
percentile
Torgesen 91 hrs. 1:3 or 1:5 tutoring 28% 1.6%
Mathes 80 hrs. 1:3 tutoring 31% .02%
!"#"$%&'( *+ ,%-&(. !/+0.
B. Foorman J. Fletcher D. Francis K. Steubing
L. Moats A. Papanicalaou P. Mathes
The U. Texas Health Science Center/Houston Group
THE FLORIDA STATE GROUP
J. Torgesen B. Foorman R. Wagner C. Schatschneider
C. Lonnigan P. Mathes
R. Morris M. Lovett M. Wolf
THE GEORGIA STATE/U. TORONTO/TUFTS GROUP
THE SUNY-ALBANY GROUP
F. Vellutino D. Scanlon
F. Wood R. Felton L. Flowers G. Eden
The Bowman Gray Wake Forest Group
THE UNIVERSITY OF COLORADO GROUP
J. DeFries R. Olson S. Smith B. Wise
B. Pennington B. Byrne
The consensus view of the most important
instructional features for interventions
Provide ample opportunities for guided practice of new
skills
Provide a significant increase in intensity of instruction
Provide systematic and explicit instruction on component
skills that are deficient
Interventions are more effective when they:
Provide appropriate levels of scaffolding as children
learn to apply new skills
Are we Really Serious About Closing
Achievement Gaps?
NEUROBIOLOGY
I didn't know it was impossible when I did it."
--Anonymous
I didn't know it was impossible when I did it."
--Anonymous
I didn't know it was impossible when I did it."
--Anonymous
A. Galaburda Hortense G. Sherman
THE HARVARD-BETH ISRAEL GROUP
THE YALE GROUP
S. Shaywitz B. Shaywitz R. Fulbright J. Gore
A. Liberman D. Shankweiler Jack Fletcher K. Pugh
E. Mencl L. Katz R. Morris B. Blachman
R L
1
1
2
3
4
5
6
7
One Year After Intervention
Shaywitz et al., Biol.
Psychiatry, 2004
Z=+12
Z=-4
I didn't know it was impossible when I did it."
-Anonymous
NI DYS NI > DYS R L
Nonword Reading
Shaywitz, B.A., et al 2002
Shaywitz et al., 2004.
\
NICHD Perspective
!"#"$%&'( *+ ,%-&(. !/+0.
B. Foorman J. Fletcher D. Francis K. Steubing
L. Moats A. Papanicalaou P. Mathes
The U. Texas Health Science Center/Houston Group
Source: Simos, Fletcher et al., 2002. Fig 1.
L R L R
Before After
Magnetic Source Imaging (MSI)
I didn't know it was impossible when I did it."
--Anonymous
I didn't know it was impossible when I did it."
--Anonymous
I didn't know it was impossible when I did it."
--Anonymous
NICHD Perspective NICHD Perspective
THE GEORGETOWN GROUP
NICHD Perspective
G. Eden C. Vaidya C. LaSasso F. Wood
L. Flowers B.Fischl P.Turkeltaub
Changes in brain activity following reading
intervention in adults with developmental dyslexia
(Eden et al., Neuron, 2004)
I didn't know it was impossible when I did it."
--Anonymous
I didn't know it was impossible when I did it."
--Anonymous
I didn't know it was impossible when I did it."
--Anonymous
NICHD Perspective NICHD Perspective
G. Berninger R. Abbott W. Raskind T. Richards
D. Corina E. Aylward
THE UNIVERSITY OF WASHINGTON GROUP
I didn't know it was impossible when I did it."
--Anonymous
I didn't know it was impossible when I did it."
--Anonymous
I didn't know it was impossible when I did it."
--Anonymous
NICHD Perspective NICHD Perspective
THE JOHNS HOPKINS GROUP
M. Denckla A. Reiss L. Cutting
K. Pugh H. Scarborough D. Speece
I didn't know it was impossible when I did it."
--Anonymous
I didn't know it was impossible when I did it."
--Anonymous
I didn't know it was impossible when I did it."
--Anonymous
NICHD Perspective NICHD Perspective
The University of Louisville Group
D. Molfese V. Molfese
GENETICS
Genetic Factors in Reading Disability
Sites on chromosomes 1, 2, 6, 15, -6 and 15
replicated in 3- 5 labs
Little evidence for genes specific to poor
reading- generalist genes
50- 80% of the variability explained by genetic
factors
THE UNIVERSITY OF COLORADO GROUP
J. DeFries R. Olson S. Smith B. Wise
B. Pennington B. Byrne
G. Berninger R. Abbott W. Raskind T. Richards
D. Corina E. Aylward
THE UNIVERSITY OF WASHINGTON GROUP
F. Wood R. Felton L. Flowers G. Eden
The Bowman Gray Wake Forest Group
I didn't know it was impossible when I did it."
--Anonymous
I didn't know it was impossible when I did it."
--Anonymous
I didn't know it was impossible when I did it."
--Anonymous
NICHD Perspective NICHD Perspective
SCIENCE, POLICY, AND POLITICS
Things are only impossible until they're not

--Jean-Luc Picard
Courage is the power to let go of the
familiar
--Raymond Lindquist
W. Goodling B. Clinton E. Kennedy A. Northup
THE FEDS
T. Cochran R. Sweet L. Bush-R. Lyon POTUS-R. Lyon
!
NIH I am so tired of the #!!**)# metro ! Congress
" !The White House # # ! HHS # ! Dept. Of Ed "
Reids Daily Rounds 2002-2005
Three Congressional Questions
In 1996, Bill Goodling, Chairman of the House
Education and Work Force Committee Asked
Reid Three Questions:
1. Why Are So Many Kids Not Learning To Read?
2. Does NICHD Have Any Answers?
3. How Can We Help These Kids Learn to Read?
RESPONSE TO QUESTION # 1
Why Are So Many Kids Not
Learning To Read?
WHY?
Education did not typically base curricular and
instructional practices on scientific research.
If research information was used it was communicated
in a manner that frequently confused the educational
consumer
Neither school administrators nor teachers had been
prepared in their training to be knowledgeable
consumers of research and to distinguish between the
bad and the good Lyon, 1997, 1998, 1999, 2000, 2001,
2002, 2005).

I
NICHD Perspective NICHD Perspective
Alternatives To Research-Based Instruction
ANECDOTES
UNTESTED BELIEFS ABOUT
TEACHING AND LEARNING
FADS, QUICK FIXES, AND APPEALS
TO AUTHORITY
STUDENT FAILURE
House Testimony (Cont.) (Lyon, 1997)
A ma[or lmpedlmenL Lo servlng Lhe needs of chlldren
demonsLraung dlmculues learnlng Lo read ls currenL
Leacher preparauon pracuces. Many Leachers lack
baslc knowledge and undersLandlng of readlng
developmenL and Lhe naLure of readlng dlmculues.
Ma[or eorLs should be underLaken Lo ensure LhaL
colleges of educauon possess Lhe experuse and
commlLmenL Lo fosLer experuse ln Leachers aL boLh
persevere and ln servlce levels".
EDUCATION AS ANTI-SCIENCE
The Influence of Postmodernism Truth is in the Eye
of the Beholder
Cause and Effect Principles do not Exist
Scientific Methods to Determine Cause and Effect
were Useless
Many Colleges of Education Remain Wedded to Anti-
Scientific Perspectives
Experience Valued Above Use of Scientific Research
UNEVEN QUALITY OF EDUCATIONAL
RESEARCH
From Levine (2005, 2006)
SUPERFICIAL
LACKING IN RIGOR
EMPHASIZES BREADTH OVER DEPTH
BASED ON IDEOLOGY RATHER THAN
SCIENTIFIC PRINCIPLES
INACCURATE (WRONG DESIGN AND
METHODS)
RESPONSE TO QUESTION # 2
Does NICHD Have Any Answers?
Testimony Before The House of Representatives
Education and Work Force Committee, (Lyon, 1997)
We have learned that for 90% to 95% of poor readers,
prevention and early intervention programs that combine
instruction in phoneme awareness, phonics, and reading
comprehension strategies provided by well trained
teachers can increase reading skills to average reading
levels. However, we have also learned that if we delay
early intervention until nine-years-of-age, (the time that
most children with reading difficulties receive services),
approximately 75% of the children will continue to have
difficulties learning to read throughout high school.
Testimony Before The House of Representatives
Education and Work Force Committee, (Lyon, 1997)
Learning to read is a lengthy and difficult process for
many children, and success in learning to read is based
in large part on developing language and literacy-
related skills very early in life. A massive effort needs to
be undertaken to inform parents, and the educational
and medical communities of the need to involve
children in reading from the first days of life Parents
must become intimately aware of the importance of
vocabulary development and the use of verbal
interactions with their youngsters to enhance grammar,
syntax, and verbal reasoning.
House Testimony (Cont.) (Lyon, 1997)
. readlng programs should be consLrucLed Lo ensure LhaL
adequaLe lnsLrucuonal ume be alloued Lo Lhe Leachlng of
phonemlc awareness skllls, phonlcs skllls, Lhe developmenL of
readlng uency and auLomauclLy, and Lhe developmenL of
readlng comprehenslon sLraLegles. All of Lhese componenLs
of readlng are necessary buL noL sumclenL ln and of
Lhemselves. lor chlldren demonsLraung dlmculLy ln learnlng
Lo read, lL ls lmperauve LhaL each of Lhese componenLs be
LaughL wlLhln an lnLegraLed conLexL and LhaL
ample pracuce ln readlng famlllar maLerlal be aorded".
House Testimony (Cont.) (Lyon, 1997)
klndergarLen programs should be deslgned so
LhaL all chlldren wlll develop Lhe prerequlslLe
phonologlcal, vocabulary, and early readlng skllls
necessary for success ln Lhe rsL grade. All chlldren
should acqulre Lhe ablllLy Lo recognlze and prlnL
boLh upper and lowercase leuers wlLh reasonable
ease and accuracy, develop famlllarlLy wlLh Lhe
baslc purposes and mechanlsms of readlng and
wrlung, and develop age-approprlaLe language".
RESPONSE TO QUESTION # 3
How Can We Help These Kids
Learn to Read?
In order to develop the most effective
instructional approaches and interventions, we
must clearly define what works, the conditions
under which it works, and what may not be
helpful. This requires a thoughtful integration of
experimental, quasi-experimental and
qualitative/descriptive methodologies
Reid Lyon, Chief, Child Development and Behavior Branch, NICHD, Congressional Testimony
House Science Committee, Subcommittee on Basic Research, Oct. 26, 1999
I didn't know it was impossible when I did it."
--Anonymous
I didn't know it was impossible when I did it."
--Anonymous
I didn't know it was impossible when I did it."
--Anonymous
NICHD Perspective NICHD Perspective
House Testimony (Cont.) (Lyon, 1997)
Cur nlCPu prevenuon and early lnLervenuon sLudles
ln PousLon, 1exas, 1allahassee, and Albany, and
Seaule, speak Lo Lhe lmporLance of early
ldenucauon and lnLervenuon wlLh chlldren aL-rlsk for
readlng fallure. rocedures now exlsL Lo ldenufy such
chlldren wlLh good accuracy. 1hls lnformauon needs
Lo be wldely dlssemlnaLed Lo schools, Leachers, and
parenLs".
A Congressional Question Following 1997
Testimony
How Can We Ensure That Education Practices
and Policies are Based on Scientific Evidence?
WE HAVE TO OVERTURN THE STATUS QUO!
The fundamental core of our strategy was to
make Federal funding for educational programs
contingent upon documenting that the products,
and professional development associated with
the products, were based upon scientifically-
based reading research (SBRR).
Elements of the Strategy
Elevate critical importance of reading proficiency (1991-2005)
Stress negative consequences of reading failure (1996-2005) -
Reading Failure is not only an educational problem it is
a public health problem (1996 - 2005)
Congressional testimony to gain support for SBRR
(1997-2005)
Develop Evidence-Based Education Policies
Testimony Before The House of Representatives Education
and Work Force Committee, (Lyon, 1997, 1998, 1999, 2000,
2001, 2002, 2003, 2004, 2005)
READING FAILURE IS AN EDUCATIONAL
AND A PUBLIC HEALTH PROBLEM!
Reading Proficiency is Critical to Academic Learning and Success
in School (Lyon, 1998; 2002, 2003, 2004; Snow, Burns & Griffin,
1998)
The Ability to Read Proficiently is Significantly Related to Quality
of Life and Health Outcomes (Lyon, 1997; Lyon & Chhabra, 2004;
Thompson, 2001)
SOME READING FIRST IMPLEMENTATION PROBLEMS
Failure to ensure an absence of ideology and to stress the
paramount importance of science
Relatively less emphasis on vocabulary and
comprehension than word level skills*
Overemphasis on linear instruction
*Limited vocabulary and comprehensions assessments; V and C both difficult to
teach; teachers unfamiliar with teaching word level skills which demanded a
significant emphasis in PA, Phonics, and Fluency
SOME READING FIRST IMPLEMENTATION
PROBLEMS
Unrealistic expectations of time involved in implementation
Government officials and educators did not understand
the lack of state and LEA understanding of SBRR and
readiness to implement the program
Softening of the instructional program selection criteria
Significant lack of clarity on rules and guidelines for peer
review, contractor agreements, and Conflicts of Interest
SOME READING FIRST IMPLEMENTATION
PROBLEMS
Lack of Transparency
Failure to ensure an absence of ideology and the to stress
the paramount importance of science
Mismanagement of the Program Evaluation Process (delay
of studies, inadequate coverage of evaluation questions,
too little, too late
SIGNIFICANT LIMITATIONS OF THE RFIS
The Study was underfunded ($35 Mil out of $150 Mil)
The study examined RF schools and non-RF schools within
districts
Significant within district contamination not accounted for
both RF and non-RF schools implemented same programs,
materials, and PD, which increased yearly
Unrepresentative sample only 17 LEAs participated in the
study resulting in a sample of approximately 2% of the total
LEAs funded
LESSONS LEARNED
Collaborate More Effectively With Stakeholders
Clearly Understand the Political Challenges
Recruit Highly Experienced Individuals in Leadership
Roles
Require 1 year Implementation Phase for Program
Initiation (First year devoted to Guidance, Technical
Support, PD)
Establish Very Clear COI Guidelines
Transparency, Transparency, Transparency
Make Sure Critical Program Elements are in Place and
ON TIME!!!
LESSONS LEARNED
Transparency, Transparency, Transparency
Make Sure Critical Program Elements are in place and
ON TIME!!!
Make Sure Assessments Do Not Constrain Instruction
Be Much More Explicit in Requiring Integrated
Instruction Rather Than Linear Instruction in Reading
Components
Congressional, NICHD, and DoED
Collaborative Initiatives
Reading Excellence Act (1998)
NRC Report on Beginning Reading (1998)
National Reading Panel Report (2000)
Reading First legislation (2001)
Partnership for Reading (2001)
What Works Clearing House (2001)
NRC Report on Scientific Research in
Education (2002)
Education Sciences Reform Act - IES (2002)
It is not the critic who counts; not the man who points out
how the strong man stumbles, or where the doer of deeds
could have done them better. The credit belongs to the
man who is actually in the arena, whose face is marred by
dust and sweat and blood; who strives valiantly; who errs,
who comes short again and again, because there is no
effort without error and shortcoming; but who does
actually strive to do the deeds; who knows great
enthusiasms, the great devotions; who spends himself in a
worthy cause; who at the best knows in the end the
triumph of high achievement, and who at the worst, if he
fails, at least fails while daring greatly,
so that his place shall never be with those
cold and timid souls who neither know
victory nor defeat. Theodor Roosevelt 1910
NICHD Perspective
Moving Forward
Thank you for your attention!
G. Reid Lyon

www.ReidLyon.com