All told, Panel members identified more than 100,000 research studies completed since 1966, developed and submitted them to rigorous criteria for their review, and conducted regional hearings to better understand the concerns of Americans about reading instruction. We will send it to parents, teachers, administrators, schools of education, and policymakers. And its findings will be promoted throughout the nation through a video report, presentations by Panel members, targeted audience materials, and the World Wide Web. This report should help us to feel confident that we are teaching our children to read by the most effective methods available. Teachers must understand how children learn to read, why some children have difficulty learning to read, and how to identify and implement the most effective instructional approaches.
Rigorous research is needed to understand the potential of computers in reading instruction.
While asking children to read silently is an accepted practice, the research demonstrated that it was not as effective as guided oral reading in helping children become fluent readers. In 1997, Congress recognized that too many children were reading below grade level. Because children's reading ability is critical to their overall success in school, this was simply unacceptable. Congress directed the creation of the National Reading Panel to reevaluate educational research and give our teachers and schools a roadmap to address this problem. I commend the National Reading Panel for coming together in a professional and independent manner to objectively and effectively analyze the data and for listening to the concerns of the stakeholders.