National Reading Panel (NRP) - About the NRP

The National Reading Panel met in Houston on Monday, June 8, 1998 at the M.B. Smiley High School cafeteria.

The Houston meeting was chaired by Panelist Gwenette Ferguson. Those Panelists also in attendance were Norma Garza and Michael Kamil. Also attending was Panel Executive Director F. William Dommel, Jr.

The meeting was called to order by George Gaines, liaison officer for the National Institute of Child Health and Human Development at the National Institutes of Health at 9:17 a.m.

Ferguson offered welcoming remarks, introduced the members of the National Reading Panel and explained the purpose of the National Reading Panel.

She also explained that the presentations that individuals make are limited to 15 minutes, with 5 additional minutes for questions from the Panel. Following the scheduled presentations, the floor will be opened for public comment, which will be limited to 5 minutes per person.

The Panel first heard from David Wizig, a teacher at Ryan Middle School in Third Ward in Houston, Texas – a school that is close to 80 percent African-American and 20 percent Hispanic.

Wizig noted that a majority of his students either could not read or did not read. He asked the panel to make sure that every child in America has more of an opportunity to get a chance to read and a chance to read books that they care about. He also asked parents and teachers to stop ignoring reading problems they may detect in their own children.

Barbara Foorman, Center for Academic and Reading Skills at the University of Texas, Houston

The second presenter to address the National Reading Panel was Dr. Barbara Foorman, Professor and Director of the Center for Academic and Reading Skills at the University of Texas, Houston, Health Science Center and Principal Investigator of the NICHD’s Early Interventions Project. She was also on the National Research Council’s committee on the "Preventing Reading Difficulties in Young Children."

Foorman discussed preventing reading failure by ensuring effective reading instruction. She said the NRC study addressed concerns about disproportionate reading problems for minority students and she worries that inaction on these statistics abrogates responsibility for public education's role to teach reading skills.

Foorman also highlighted the importance of word recognition strategies, spelling instruction, vocabulary, and comprehension.

The next speaker was Synda Frost, a parent from Houston.

She detailed her experiences teaching her son how to read, noting that although he did not have a learning disability he was becoming increasingly "disabled" by his instruction. Frost said she was concerned about the training teachers receive in the colleges of education and believes parents should take an interest in their school's reading program, committing time to learn about the components of good research-based reading programs.

Following a break from 10:20 a.m. to 10:44 a.m., the panel continued hearing from presenters.

The panel then heard from Elsa Cardenas-Hagan, a bilingual speech-language pathologist from Brownsville, Texas.

She discussed the Brownsville Reading Initiative and a pilot project implemented by Brownsville two years ago.

The panel next heard from Margaret LaMontagne, senior advisor to Governor George Bush.

She discussed the efforts undertaken by Governor Bush since 1996 to meet the goal that all children should be reading on grade level by the end of third grade and making appropriate progress thereafter.

The panel then heard from Robin Gilchrist, Assistant Commissioner at the Texas Education Agency.

She said that Texas is focusing on two things – information and resources. They are working to provide the best information possible to teachers and the necessary resources to schools. She said it was important to focus on pre-service education, instructional materials, and effective strategies for second-language learners.

The panel next heard from Darvin Winick of the Governor’s Business Council.

He discussed the Business Council’s role in reading instruction in Texas, stressing that the Council’s review of reading instruction in Texas found an enormous variation in the quality of evidence of effectiveness available for various reading instructional programs.

The panel then heard from Phyllis Hunter, reading manager for Houston Independent School District (HISD).

She detailed the work HISD has done to meet the literacy goals set by the state. Hunter said in Houston they have incorporated decoding, comprehension, fluency, second language learners, technology and research standards into their reading plan.

Ferguson then invited those present to provide public comments.

The Panel then heard from Kay Allen, associate director of the Neuhaus Education Center in Houston, a not-for-profit educational foundation that offers teachers on-going professional development in reading instruction. She highlighted the efforts of the Neuhaus Center and its focus.

Ferguson then re-opened the floor for one last presenter.

The panel next heard from Margaret Doughty, Executive Director of the Houston Read Commission.

She detailed the Houston Reads to Lead program. She asked the panel to recommend funding for family literacy and community-based programs such as hers.

The panel then heard from Jim Hoffman, a professor at the University of Texas in Austin and a member of the Board of Directors of the International Reading Association. He said it was important to allow knowledgeable teachers to make instructional decisions that will help promote literacy growth in their students.

The panel next heard from Jimmy Kilpatrick, director of Read by Grade 3.com. He told the Panel to reject the use of the term "balanced approach" because it leads to teachers using a smattering of phonics and whole language, confusing children about whether they should read from part to whole or whole to part.

The Panel next heard from Yolanda Proust, a linguist. She asked the Panel to recognize that there is not a direct route from phonemic awareness to comprehension and discussed the importance of understanding phonemes.

The Panel next heard from Ann Mich, an English teacher at M.B. Smiley High School. She expressed her concern about her students’ reading abilities in two areas – reading endurance and selecting challenging reading materials.

The Panel next heard from Margaret Hill from the Texas State Reading Association, as well as the Greater Houston Area Reading Council, the Bay Area Reading Council, and the Greater Houston Area Writing Project. She recommended the Panel focus on teachers and teacher preparation, and not necessarily the research.

The Panel next heard from Lupita Hinojosa, an instructional supervisor working with bilingual and ESL programs for the HISD and President for the Texas Association for Bilingual Education. She also asked the Panel to look at the issue of teacher preparation, especially in the need for bilingual teachers in the classroom.

The Panel then heard from Winifred Osborne, an "uninhibited prekindergarten teacher" in the HISD. She detailed the active learning program she has developed for her classroom.

The Panel then heard from Beth Lee, a reading teacher and trainer for HISD. She spoke about parental involvement and providing opportunities for students to share what they read.

Ferguson then offered closing remarks, thanking those who had attended and who had made the meeting possible. She assured the audience that their written and verbal statements would be shared with the panelists who were not able to attend.

The National Reading Panel meeting in Houston then concluded at 12:51 p.m.

Name - Affiliation
Karri Brown - North Forest ISD
Elizabeth Celeste Humphres - Southeast District HISD
Ethel Bell - North Forest ISD
Mina Rocabader - HISD SE District
Dana Darden - HISD SE District
Doroth Briggs - North Forest ISD
Hazel P. Mason - North Forest ISD
Loraine Sylva - North Forest
Lendra L. Thomas - North Forest
Beth Ann Bryan
Margaret LaMontagne - Office of the Governor
Elsa Cardenas-Hagan
Dorothy Almstrong - North Forest ISD
Jean Barber
Yolanda Prost - Neuhaus Education Center
Charlyn Avzenne - HISD Reading Dept.
Judy Yeager - HISD No. Central
Harold E. Klinston - HISD So. Central
David Wizig - Ryan Middle School
Annie Y. Norton - Northwood Middle School
Beth H. Lee
Cindy Dean
Helen Dewey
Maxine Lane-Seals - NFISD Bd. Ed.
Ernestine Taylor
Myra Leonard
Yolanda K. Lewis - HISD-Reading Training
D.M. Winick - Gov. Business Council
Liz Flores - HISD
Lillie M. Rollin - HISD Reading Training
Phyllis Hunter - HISD Reading
Esther Dykes - NFISD
Harrianne Spencer - Kircy Middle School NFISD
Helen Shields - NFISD
Sara Hannes - SBISD
Katie Hollingsworth - Houston Reading Commission
Charity Hamond - Houston Reading Commission
Winnifred Osborn - Houston ISO
Jimmy Kilpatrick - Read by Grade 3.com
James Hoffman - U.T. Austin/IRA
Carmen Dominguez - McGraw Hill
Lupita Hinojosa - Houston ISD
Ida Hall - North Forest
Norma Ramos - Houston ISD
Kathy Heath - Houston ISD
Betty Dawson - Houston ISD
Georgiana Mayo - North Forest ISD
Kay Allen - Neuhaus Education Center
Ann Yerk - Houston ISD
Ronald S. Ferguson - North Forest ISD
Beverly Bennett - NFISD (Kirby)
Charlean Magee - Kirby Middle School
Margaret Hill - Texas State Reading Association
Patricia A. Johnson - North Forest ISD
Judy Hoya - North Forest ISD
Lucia Berry - North Forest ISD
Linda Lacy - North Forest ISD
Betty Lasmuz - North Forest ISD
Charlotte Watson-Mathis - Northwood Middle School
Thesrodiam Wallian - HISD North Central
Rubye Gilbert - NFISD
Charlene B. Johnson - NFISD
Ayn Meck - NFISD
Nellie Anderson
Robin Gilchrist - Texas Education Agency