Our Mission
The mission of the Minnesota Center for Reading Research is to conduct 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, as they learn to effectively teach children and youth from diverse backgrounds, to become competent readers in K-12 school settings. The research will be primarily applied research; basic research would also be important to the work of the center.
Specific problems and issues in reading that require creative and powerful research efforts would include, but not be limited to, the following:
- Determining effective instructional approaches to engage struggling readers at the lower/ upper elementary levels and middle/high school levels;
- Developing research-based, coherent school-wide literacy programs and the supports needed to enact systemic change with a teaching staff;
- Developing and researching literacy assessments that measure and document students' growth in formative and summative ways and that are coherent features to systemic programs
The Center will engage in translational research, and considerable emphasis will be on translating research into practice. Thus, the Center has a significant outreach and professional development mission.