2008 Schedule for the Center for Development and Learning's "Plain Talk About Reading Institute"

U.S. Secretary of Education Margaret Spellings Highlights Success of No Child Left Behind at Reading First State Directors Conference March 6, 2008
In her remarks, Secretary Spellings highlighted dramatic gains that students and schools have made with the help of the Reading First Program, which translates decades of scientific research into practical tools for teachers. ....more

Letter to the Editor, Education Week
In this letter to Education Week, Reid Lyon sets the record straight... And a majority of them (disadvantaged students) have failed to learn to read when taught by programs based on nothing but fads, sheer guesswork, and untested philosophies and assumptions. ...more

Reading First Selected State Student Performance Data
The GAO, Congress' investigative arm, reports that 69 percent of states surveyed praised Reading First for "great or very great improvement in reading instruction". In addition, 80 percent felt that teacher training had been tremendously improved under the program. ...more

Pound the Table: More Whole Language High Jinks February 2007
There is an old adage among lawyers that says, "if you have the facts on your side, pound the facts; if you have the law on your side, pound the law; if you have neither the facts nor the law, pound the table."

This is a response to a "review" of the recent Fordham Institute report "Whole Language High Jinks: How to Tell When 'Scientifically-Based Reading Instruction' Isn't" by Louisa Moats.

Whole-language Wolves in Sheep's Clothing 1/29/07
Primary reading programs aren't always what they claim

WASHINGTON, D.C.- Amid ongoing debate about the federal Reading First program, a new report from the Thomas B. Fordham Institute exposes ineffective reading programs that dishonestly claim to be "scientifically-based" and thereby qualify for millions of dollars in public funds intended to help struggling children learn to read.

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