IRA director to report on effective teacher preparation research

 Cathy Roller, director of research and policy for the International Reading Association, will summarize findings from two notable research efforts—a major programmatic study conducted by the National Commission on Excellence in Elementary Teacher Preparation in Reading Instruction and a comprehensive review of empirical literature in the area of reading education—at 10:00 a.m. Thursday, March 1, in room 383 of the Hall of the States, 444 N. Capitol Street, Washington, D.C.

The International Reading Association has identified six essential elements that differentiate the quality of undergraduate and graduate programs in preparing teachers for reading instruction—faculty and teaching, content, field experiences, diversity, assessment, vision and governance. Preparing teachers for excellent reading instruction is a recognized key to promoting student learning and a vital element in closing the achievement gap that challenges many schools. Students are more actively engaged in reading appropriate texts and have access to a wider variety of reading materials in classrooms where beginning teachers have graduated from programs that emphasize reading instruction compared to those whose programs are more general.