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Finally, Teachers Have the Answers Needed to Teach All Children to Read
New book is “Mandatory reading” says the National Reading Panel Chair

Baltimore, MD – Not since the groundbreaking 2000 report of the National Reading Panel (NRP) has a single resource offered such clarity on what constitutes sound reading instruction. In The Voice of Evidence in Reading Research (McCardle & Chhabra, Brookes Publishing, March 2004), distinguished experts answer the questions on all educators’ minds: Why is scientifically based research so important? How can educators recognize solid, research-based evidence? How can teachers make informed choices about applying research to teaching? Since passage of the No Child Left Behind Act, a book like The Voice of Evidence in Reading Research has been urgently needed: a respected book that clearly communicates to educators what works, how it works, and what constitutes solid, trustworthy research.

Peggy McCardle and Vinita Chhabra, literacy experts from the National Institute of Child Health and Human Development, have partnered with 30 leaders in education, psychology, and science to interpret critical information for every professional committed to eliminating the infamous “achievement gap” that plagues schools and communities coast to coast. In a country with the resources to ensure every child learns to read fluently, where have we gone wrong? “Armed with [this book’s] evidence of what works and with research-based reading programs and instructional strategies,” says Sandra Feldman, President of the American Federation of Teachers (AFT), we “will meet the goal of every child reading well by the end of third grade.”

As foreword author Catherine Snow, Vice Chair of the National Academy of Sciences' Committee on the Strategic Education Research Partnership (SERP) initiative and Shattuck professor at Harvard University’s Graduate School of Education explains, “the time has arrived to put aside overly simplistic statements about the incompetence of teachers, the inadequacies of teacher preparation programs, or the failure of urban school districts. We have the knowledge to bring change for the better.” “For any and all who claim to care about the quality of reading instruction in America,” pronounces J. Thomas Viall, Executive Director of the International Dyslexia Association, “The Voice of Evidence in Reading Research will surely become required reading.”

Donald N. Langenberg, Chairman of the NRP, says The Voice of Evidence in Reading Research “should be mandatory reading for those unpersuaded of the relevance of valid, evidence-based instructional practices in the teaching of reading, or any other subject, at any level of education.” The NRP’s 2000 summary report, “Teaching Children to Read,” contributed generously to our understanding of the essential components of literacy.

Now, The Voice of Evidence in Reading Research provides educators with a resource for learning how to evaluate and apply research to practices in their classrooms. Discovering new interventions for students who struggle, motivating students to achieve, and developing their own professional skills are only a few of the powerful reasons for teachers to institute scientifically based practices and teach from the evidence. The Voice of Evidence in Reading Research is an invitation to collaboration for successful reading instruction in American classrooms that ensures no child is left behind.

About the Editors

Peggy McCardle, Ph.D., M.P.H., is Associate Chief, Child Development and Behavior Branch, Center for Research for Mothers and Children, at the National Institute for Child Health and Human Development (NICHD). Dr. McCardle holds a bachelor's degree in French, a Ph.D. in linguistics, and a master’s degree in public health (MPH). At the NIH she has served as a scientific review administrator and as a senior advisor to the Deputy Director for Extramural Research in the Office of the NIH Director, before joining the NICHD. In 1999, she joined the NICHD where, in addition to her duties as Associate Chief, she serves as Director of the branch’s research program in Language, Bilingual and Biliteracy Development and Disorders. She also serves as the NICHD liaison to the National Reading Panel and the Partnership for Reading, is on the steering committee of the National Literacy Panel for Language Minority Children and Youth, and leads or serves on various interagency working groups. Peggy McCardle lives in Maryland with her husband, is an avid gardener and also writes outside of her life as a scientist administrator.

Vinita Chhabra, M.Ed., is a Research Scientist for the National Reading Panel (NRP), National Institute of Child Health and Human Development (NICHD), National Institutes of Health, U.S. Department of Health and Human Services. Chhabra has a master’s degree in educational psychology and a background in special education, with an emphasis in reading disabilities. She has worked with the NRP since its inception and was responsible for researching and conducting searches of literature in reading for the NRP and coordinating and editing materials for the NRP report. She is heading the dissemination activities for the NRP and works as a liaison to joint educational activities with the National Institute for Literacy and the U.S. Department of Education. In addition, Ms. Chhabra assists the NICHD’s Child Development and Behavior Branch in adolescent and family literacy initiatives, with a focus in motivation in reading and literacy. She has co-authored articles dealing with reading disabilities and is completing her doctorate in educational psychology at the University of Virginia.


About Brookes Publishing Co.

Recently celebrating their 25th anniversary, Brookes Publishing has been a leading provider of resources on education, disabilities, child development, early intervention, communication and language, behavior, and mental health since 1978. An independent company, Brookes Publishing is headquartered in Baltimore, Maryland. Visit the Brookes Publishing web site at www.brookespublishing.com.