The Institute of Education Sciences (Institute) invites applications for research projects that will contribute to its research program on Reading and Writing (Read/Write).
Through its Read/Write research program, the Institute intends to contribute to improvement of reading and writing skills by (1) identifying curriculum and instructional practices that are potentially effective for improving reading or writing outcomes as well as mediators and moderators of the effects of these practices; (2) developing interventions for teaching individuals reading or writing or for addressing the underlying causes of reading or writing difficulties (e.g., poor oral language skills); (3) establishing the efficacy of existing interventions and approaches for teaching reading or writing or for reducing/preventing reading or writing difficulties with efficacy or replication trials; (4) providing evidence on the effectiveness of reading or writing interventions implemented at scale; and (5) developing and validating assessments that can be used in instructional settings to identify sources of read/write difficulties. 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 and writing.
Through its previous awards, the Institute has built a portfolio of projects that promises both to increase understanding of how reading develops across readers with a range of skills and to provide educators with interventions designed to improve reading comprehension for all readers and for younger struggling readers. However, fewer projects than desirable specifically target improving the reading skills of struggling adolescent and adult readers. Consequently, the FY 2006 Read/Write program includes a specific request for the development and evaluation of interventions that will improve the reading skills of middle school and high school students and adults who are struggling readers.
