One of the most vexing problems facing middle and secondary school teachers
today is that many students come into their classrooms without the requisite
knowledge, skills, or disposition to read and comprehend the materials placed
before them. In an effort to inform the U.S. Department of Education’s Office of
Educational Research and Improvement (OERI) on ways to improve the quality
and relevance of education research and development, RAND convened 14 experts
with a wide range of disciplinary and methodological perspectives in the
field of reading. The RAND Reading Study Group (RRSG) was charged with
proposing strategic guidelines for a long-term research and development program
supporting the improvement of reading comprehension. This report is the
product of that group’s efforts and of the valuable commentary provided by
various members of the reading research and practice communities.