INDEX

Our Mission

The National Right to Read Foundation (NRRF) was established on January 8, 1993. The mission of NRRF is to return comprehensive, scientifically-based reading instruction and good literature to every elementary school in America. Much progress has been made toward this goal. Exactly nine years from the day NRRF was established, President Bush signed the No Child Left Behind Act of 2002 that included the Reading First program. This program reflects the findings of decades of reading research, as summarized in the National Reading Panel report released in April 2000. Through Reading First, the Congress provides more than $1 billion each year for needy schools to implement the findings of reading research. A comprehensive approach to teaching students to read, as stated in the Reading First law, includes explicit, systematic instruction in these five areas: phonemic awareness, phonics, vocabulary development, fluency, and comprehension. Explicit and systematic instruction in phonics is a non-negotiable component of comprehensive reading instruction.

Much remains to be done. At the state and local levels, NRRF State Directors and Chapter Leaders (see NRRF Contact Information below) promote reading instruction based upon scientific reading research findings. They testify before legislatures, school boards, and parent groups to explain the kind of teaching that will ensure all children learn the skill of reading.

It is our purpose to provide up-to-date information on this site to inform the American public about progress towards the goals of NRRF, to suggest ways that parents can become involved in this essential effort, and to encourage teachers to use reading instructional materials and diagnostic assessments that will enable them to teach most children to read by the end of first grade, and to ensure that all children are proficient readers by the end of third grade at the latest.

NRRF Board of Directors

Robert Sweet, Jr.
President and Co-Founder
Strasburg, Virginia

James Jacobson
Vice President and Co-Founder
Sault Ste. Marie, Michigan

Dr. Patrick Groff
Senior Advisor
San Diego, California

Julie Anders
Cypress, California

Cathy Froggatt
St. Joseph, Michigan

Judge David Grossman
Cincinnati, Ohio

Joy Sweet
Strasburg, Virginia

Robert Unger
Great Neck, New York

NRRF Contact Information

Executive Director:
Joy Sweet info@nrrf.org 540-465-2349

Senior Advisor:
Dr. Patrick Groff  pgroff@mail.sdsu.edu
San Diego, California

State Directors:

California:
Julie Anders  j.anders123@verizon.net  714-893-2286

Connecticut:
Linda Frazer  lfrazer@optonline.net  203-222-2367

Florida:
Kim Sadler  Kimsadler@earthlink.net  386-767-9832

Georgia:
Brenda Fitzgerald  brendafitzgerald@bellsouth.net  770-794-8525

Hawaii:
Sherry Matsumoto  smatsu@hawaii.rr.com   808-235-6896

Idaho:
Ann King  akingtoday@webband.com  208-772-4744

Indiana:
Anita Holten  ajholten@att.net  574-247-0605

Kansas:
Linda Weinmaster  Lweinmaster@sunflower.com  785-843-4060

Maine:
Alexis Muskie  207-934-4886

Maryland:
Mark Draper   drmark.draper@gmail.com   240-252-1443

Massachusetts:
Annie Procopio   anneprocopio@verizon.net  978-443-9637

Michigan:
Cathy Froggatt  cfroggatt@qtm.net  269-429-3509

Nebraska:
Linda Weinmaster  Lweinmaster@sunflower.com  785-843-4060

Nevada:
Sharon Kientz  steelekientz@sbcglobal.net  775-882-8572

New Hampshire:
Rebekah Woodman  wwoodman@adelphia.net  603-429-1998

New Jersey:
Cathy Fox  ekfox24@aol.com  908-459-5923

New Mexico:
Macario Chavez  505-537-3637

New York:
Karen Sponable  kssjss@msn.com  518-279-1613

North Carolina:
Fern Shubert  fernshubert@alltel.net  704-624-2720

Pennsylvania:
Julie Dillenburg  info@ceopa.org  412-327-0505

South Carolina:
Patsy Stewart  gop4me11@hotmail.com  803-419-2186

South Dakota:
James Sneeden  asneeden@juno.com  605-628-3274

Texas:
Peg Leach   pegleach@academicplanet.com   956-583-0532

Virginia:
Jennifer Welliver   libertyreading@msn.com   540-955-1373
www.libertyreading.com

Vermont:
Michael Audet  mlaudet@msn.com  802-899-3235

Washington:
Susan Esvelt  esvelt_wsp@msn.com   425-335-4964

Washington, D.C. Area:
Sandra Elam   sselam@verizon.net   703-365-2428

Wisconsin:
Sally DeBruin  920-734-0944

In Memory of Regna Lee Wood
In Memory of Charles Richardson

NRRF Teachers of the Year

The Years In Review

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If you find this site useful, please support us. We rely completely on your donations! All donations are greatly appreciated. Mail your tax-deductible check (in U.S. dollars) to:

The National Right to Read Foundation
P.O. Box 560
Strasburg, VA 22657

Unless otherwise noted, you may copy and distribute any information on this site as long as The National Right to Read Foundation at www.nrrf.org is given credit. The National Right to Read Foundation is a 501(c)(3) publicly supported organization.