Welcome!

The University of Minnesota Center for Reading Research conducts applied research on reading and research on teaching approaches that facilitate reading instruction. The focus is on conducting research that supports teachers, particularly those who teach students of poverty and students from diverse backgrounds. The Center addresses problems and issues in reading that require creative and powerful research efforts. Learn more about our mission.

Reading First School Receives National Recognition

J. W. Smith Elementary School in Bemidji, Minnesota has been chosen by the US Department of Education as one of eight Minnesota Blue Ribbon Schools in 2007.

The Blue Ribbon Schools program recognizes public and private schools that have demonstrated dramatically improved student performance with at least 40 percent of their students from disadvantaged backgrounds or schools that score in the top 10 percent on state assessments. Schools must be nominated for the award and complete an application.

J. W. Smith participated in Cohort 1 of Minnesota’s Reading First program from 2004-2006. Congratulations to the students and staff!

Improving Literacy Instruction

The Minnesota Center for Reading Research has been helping some Minnesota Elementary Schools improve their literacy instruction through both the Reading First Professional Development Program and the Minnesota Statewide Reading Academy: School Change in Reading Program. Schools participating in these programs have seen above average growth in student reading scores and many positive changes in school climate, staff collaboration, more effective reading instruction and effective use of school-wide data. After participating in the Reading First program for 2 ½ years, schools typically experience the following (as shared by one of our Reading First, Round 1 schools):

We have experienced many successes while involved with Reading First. Some of our highlights are:

Students are engaged in their learning, actively discussing and writing about what they are reading.
Students are more strategic readers. They flexibly use reading strategies of prediction, question, summarize and clarify. Students have a heightened sense of metacognition, as they understand more about why and when strategies should be used.
Last year our third graders received more above average and superior scores on their MCA tests than they had in three prior years.
Teachers are having collegial discussions about reading. These discussions and conversations about reading are helping teachers think about their teaching and are encouraging teachers to implement scientifically research based instructional strategies.
We have embraced using data to monitor student progress. We are working to share data school wide and across grade levels.

We will be offering a series of workshops starting this Fall (2008)to help other interested schools gain access to the same model of success that has been proven to work so well. For more information on this, please see the section on “Bridging Research to Practice” below.

Minnesota Reading First Professional Development Program

The Minnesota Reading First Professional Development Program is part of Reading First, a federally-funded program administered in Minnesota by the Minnesota Department of Education. The Center for Reading Research conducts the professional development for this program for K-3 teachers of reading under the direction of Barbara Taylor. During the 2005-06 school year there were 1000 teachers and administrators in 51 high-poverty schools across Minnesota who were part of the program, and in 2006-07 there are 24 schools and 500 teachers participating. Eleven of these current schools are in the Minneapolis or St. Paul Public School Districts. The program has been very successful in helping schools raise students’ reading achievement in grades K-3. It is based on the research-validated School Change in Reading Framework for grades K-6 developed by Taylor and associates to support schools as they a) improve their reading program based on local needs, b) work collaboratively in their delivery of reading instruction and in their professional development activities, and c) are informed by research-based knowledge of effective practices related to reading instruction, school reform, effective schools, effective teachers, and parent partnerships.

Bridging Research to Practice – 2008-09 Workshops for K-6 School Improvement in Reading

The purpose of these series of workshops is to help school leaders and teachers in grades K-6 learn how to use scientifically based reading instruction to improve reading achievement. It is for a team of elementary school staff (administrators, classroom teachers, reading resource teachers, ELL teachers, and special education teachers) who would like to learn how to implement the research-validated School Change in Reading Framework (developed by Professor Barbara Taylor and associates) within their buildings. The sessions will focus on organizational change and the development of shared leadership and school-wide collaboration.

Consortium for Responsible School Change in Literacy

Senior literacy educators from 6 universities and 2 large professional organizations recently formed the Consortium for Responsible School Change in Literacy.

The primary purpose of this university-based consortium is to provide research-validated school improvement models and resources to schools with the goals of producing highly qualified literacy teachers and improving literacy achievement for all students in meaningful ways. Members of the consortium also continue to conduct ongoing research on school improvement and will work collectively to impact educational policy that focuses on school-wide literacy improvement.

The research conducted by consortium members has found that successful school improvement in literacy requires support for organizational change, support for individual teacher change, and a focus on sound instruction that emphasizes complex thinking as well as basic skills. Research has revealed that a framework for school improvement which helps schools focus on these 3 key elements is effective in improving students' reading ability (Taylor, Pearson, Peterson, & Rodriguez, 2005; Taylor & Peterson, 2004).