Reading
Lessons on Reading for Capitol Hill

NEA and the International Reading Association team up to give Washington policy-makers a better understanding of just how complex and challenging it is to teach reading.

I f you think that everything out there on reading instruction could fill a library almost all by itself, you're right. Over 100,000 academic journal articles on reading are now in print.

Distilling the wisdom from all this research isn't easy, not for scholars in the field and certainly not for the lawmakers responsible for setting federal policy on reading.

That's why, this past summer, NEA joined with the International Reading Association to offer policy-makers on Capitol Hill an in-depth briefing on a remarkable new resource for everyone who cares about increasing the effectiveness of reading instruction.

This new resource, the recently released third edition of the Handbook of Reading Research, analyzes what's to be learned from the tens of thousands of articles on reading.

At 1,000 pages, the Handbook isn't exactly light reading. But it can help policy-makers on Capitol Hill better understand what works in reading instruction--and avoid the sorts of simplistic "mandates" from above that can drive dedicated educators crazy.

"Part of the point in discussing the Handbook on Capitol Hill," explains NEA staffer Barbara Kapinus, "was to help policy-makers understand just how rich and varied the research really is."

One example: People outside the classroom, Kapinus points out, often think that learning to read is a process that ends as soon as a child can decode the words on a page. But learning to comprehend, analyze, remember, and use what is read--and come back for more--is actually a learning process that continues through life.

At the Capitol Hill briefing, two of the Handbook editors, Michael Kamil from Stanford and Rebecca Barr from National-Louis University in Illinois, were also on hand to describe how this new work differs from other recent reading research reviews.

"The Handbook is the most comprehensive set of reviews about reading research currently available," Kamil told the Capitol Hill briefing.

The Handbook covers both experimental studies that have tested different reading instructional techniques against one another and descriptive studies, where researchers have watched to see exactly how children interact with print. As NEA's Kapinus points out, these descriptive studies--not included in earlier reviews--can be just as valuable as experimental studies.

Co-editor Barr explained to her Capitol Hill audience that the Handbook goes beyond questions of what techniques work to examine how various approaches work. This is research that can help educators select the most effective strategies for their particular classes or students.

Are the policy-makers quick studies (or at least speed readers)?

"If they come away with a better knowledge of how reading works--and start funding programs that reflect that knowledge," says Kapinus, "they'll get good marks."

For more:
To see the wide range of topics covered in the Handbook on Reading Research, check out the table of contents on the Web at www.stanford.edu/~mkamil/hrr3/index.htm.

How To ...
Bring Stories To Life

Who better to bring a story to life than actors? That's the premise behind the volunteer organization Book PALS (Performing Artists for Literacy in Schools), which sends professional actors into schools in at-risk neighborhoods to instill in children the desire to read.

Founded in 1993 by Barbara Bains of TV's Mission Impossible fame, Book PALS now read to more than 40,000 students in 900 schools each week.

You don't need an Oscar to bring drama into reading time. Just take a look at these Book PALS tips for reading aloud:

• Choose quality literature. Half the battle of reading aloud successfully to children of all ages is book selection.

• Read the book to yourself first to spot material to shorten, elaborate on, or eliminate.

• Look for places or words that lend themselves to sound effects or "coloring," that is, words that you can make sound like what they are--cold, soft, angry.

• Wait for the attention of the whole group. Compliment those who are focused, gently look at those who are fidgeting. Lead children in stretching exercises between read-aloud segments, then allow them a moment to settle down quietly.

• Even sixth grade students love a good picture book. There are many picture books with powerful themes that can elicit excellent discussions.

• Don't start a reading if you don't have enough time to introduce the book, read it properly, and discuss it afterward.

• Don't read too fast or too slow Read rapidly through sections that are familiar. Slow down when you are setting up a revelation or surprise.

• Don't impose your interpretations on a story. Let interpretations come from the students, with your gentle guidance.

• Don't be afraid to give the characters different voices.

For more information, visit www.bookpals.net. To "book" a Book PAL for your school, call Ellen Nathan, the national program director, at 323/549-6709.