Expanding, Structuring, and Invigorating the Early Grade Reading Research Agenda

Learning how to read is one of the most important skills that a child should master in primary school. However, there is healthy and ongoing debate, both in the OECD countries and countries that are recipients of donor assistance, about how best to enable children to achieve that mastery. In addition, the implementation of collaborative approaches to consolidating evidence on core reading interventions, the development of research on emerging promising practices, the standardization of metrics and protocols in reading instruction, and the dissemination of knowledge about effective ways to teach reading have often taken a back seat in international circles in recent years to the pressures and imperatives of implementing reading programs in the field.

This workshop will provide interested members of the early grade reading community with the opportunity to “step back from the fray” and to consult with one another regarding the questions they believe have received insufficient focus to date and/or are the most pressing to investigate in order to advance the learning agenda in early grade reading. Session discussions will provide ‘grist for the mill’ for new research projects, as well as for the early meetings of a nascent early grade reading community of practice that USAID hopes to fund in the 2014 year. They will also provide a chance to discuss how to capture a broader perspective on successes and challenges in early grade reading than that which is afforded by continuous randomized control trials. By seeking to breathe new life into the early grade reading research agenda, the session will support the goals of the conference by consecrating time for academics and practitioners to talk together about ways in which fresh research could help in revisioning early grade reading success for all. Participating conferees will receive copies of the notes, ideas, and topics discussed during the session.

Workshop Audience and Goals

The audiences for this workshop are: researchers and early grade reading specialists, development practitioners, and representatives of countries seeking to develop greater institutional expertise in the dynamics of reading instruction.

The goals of the workshop are: 1) To generate and categorize important research questions in early grade reading; 2) To critique and improve the plans and proposals for a revitalized early grade reading community of practice.

Planned Workshop Activities

Instructional Staff

Dr. Jane Benbow, Independent Consultant
Rebecca Rhodes, USAID/E3