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Retooling Literacy Education for the 21st Century: Key Findings of the Reading for Understanding Initiative and Their Implications

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Bibliographic Details
Title: Retooling Literacy Education for the 21st Century: Key Findings of the Reading for Understanding Initiative and Their Implications
Language: English
Authors: Sabatini, John, O'Reilly, Tenaha, Doorey, Nancy A., Council of Chief State School Officers (CCSSO), Educational Testing Service (ETS), Center for Research on Human Capital and Education
Source: Educational Testing Service. 2018.
Availability: Educational Testing Service. Rosedale Road Mailstop 19R, Princeton, NJ 08541-0001. Tel: 609-921-9000; Fax: 609-734-5410; Web site: http://www.ets.org
Peer Reviewed: N
Page Count: 40
Publication Date: 2018
Sponsoring Agency: Institute of Education Sciences (ED)
Contract Number: R305F100005
Document Type: Reports - Research
Education Level: Preschool Education
Descriptors: Reading Research, Preschool Education, Elementary Secondary Education, Literacy Education, Reading Achievement, Reading Skills, Curriculum, Instruction, Evaluation, Faculty Development, Program Implementation, Outcomes of Education, Reading Comprehension
Assessment and Survey Identifiers: National Assessment of Educational Progress
Abstract: In May 2016, an invitational symposium on the Reading for Understanding (RfU) initiative was held in Alexandria, Virginia. Co-hosted by ETS and the Council of Chief State School Officers (CCSSO), the symposium brought together some 160 state and local education leaders to examine the results of the Reading for Understanding Initiative. The goal of the U.S. Department of Education-sponsored initiative was to accelerate the research on reading across grades preK-12. In 2010, five grant projects were awarded to focus on learning and instruction, and one project on assessment. In this policy report, the authors begin by framing the need for a focused, national effort to achieve universal, advanced reading literacy, arguing that it is an issue of equity as well as individual and national prosperity. The second portion presents a discussion of practical recommendations for lead practitioners, summarizing key insights from the RfU Research Initiative, remaining research challenges, and policy and practice recommendations for enhancing reading achievement across the educational developmental span from pre-K to secondary school graduation. In this report, the authors attempted to capture and communicate some key insights that can serve as principles for action now. Using the "race to the moon" metaphor, they suggested that change would require a shared vision that places value on the importance of improving reading development for all citizens. Second, the destination must be clear: What it means to be a proficient reader in the twenty-first century has changed, and assessment and instruction should follow suit. Third, change requires engineering a system that impacts policy through assessment, instruction, curriculum, professional development, and implementation of innovation for sustainability and continuous improvement. Adapting to the gradual accumulation of solid, stable empirical findings of research is important, but so too is learning to adapt educational practices to better serve children of today, large percentages of whom continue to fail to achieve reading comprehension levels at the standards that have been set for our nation. In the spirit of empirical science, the authors recommend that innovations in policies and practices should be considered and implemented where needed, but with an eye toward understanding better what works for whom and when. The insights illuminated here hopefully can serve as a foundation for such innovation.
Abstractor: ERIC
IES Funded: Yes
Entry Date: 2018
Accession Number: ED587186
Database: ERIC
Description
Abstract:In May 2016, an invitational symposium on the Reading for Understanding (RfU) initiative was held in Alexandria, Virginia. Co-hosted by ETS and the Council of Chief State School Officers (CCSSO), the symposium brought together some 160 state and local education leaders to examine the results of the Reading for Understanding Initiative. The goal of the U.S. Department of Education-sponsored initiative was to accelerate the research on reading across grades preK-12. In 2010, five grant projects were awarded to focus on learning and instruction, and one project on assessment. In this policy report, the authors begin by framing the need for a focused, national effort to achieve universal, advanced reading literacy, arguing that it is an issue of equity as well as individual and national prosperity. The second portion presents a discussion of practical recommendations for lead practitioners, summarizing key insights from the RfU Research Initiative, remaining research challenges, and policy and practice recommendations for enhancing reading achievement across the educational developmental span from pre-K to secondary school graduation. In this report, the authors attempted to capture and communicate some key insights that can serve as principles for action now. Using the "race to the moon" metaphor, they suggested that change would require a shared vision that places value on the importance of improving reading development for all citizens. Second, the destination must be clear: What it means to be a proficient reader in the twenty-first century has changed, and assessment and instruction should follow suit. Third, change requires engineering a system that impacts policy through assessment, instruction, curriculum, professional development, and implementation of innovation for sustainability and continuous improvement. Adapting to the gradual accumulation of solid, stable empirical findings of research is important, but so too is learning to adapt educational practices to better serve children of today, large percentages of whom continue to fail to achieve reading comprehension levels at the standards that have been set for our nation. In the spirit of empirical science, the authors recommend that innovations in policies and practices should be considered and implemented where needed, but with an eye toward understanding better what works for whom and when. The insights illuminated here hopefully can serve as a foundation for such innovation.