Blog

A cartoon hand writing the letter "s" and dotted lines where a student can practice writing

New Handwriting and Early Reading Tool Available for Teachers and Caregivers on IRRC Website

Monday, July 22, 2024
University of Iowa College of Education faculty and Iowa Reading Research Center staff have created a new online handwriting tool for early readers and writers.
Girl writes by hand with help from an adult

Handwriting: Beneficial to Reading and Often Misunderstood

Tuesday, July 2, 2024
Handwriting can support early reading skills. This post explains why and describes several techniques teachers can use to help their students acquire handwriting.
A group of teachers sit in a classroom during a professional development presentation

A Tale of Three Districts

Wednesday, June 26, 2024
Districts in Iowa are making strides in adopting new English language arts materials and implementing structured literacy practices.
A girl traces and writes letters by hand

Research Article of the Month: June 2024

Tuesday, June 25, 2024
Through this breakdown of Ray et al. (2021), we explore the benefits of handwriting intervention on foundational reading skills.
A teacher in front of a board teaching grammar

Research Article of the Month: May 2024

Tuesday, May 28, 2024
We explore the findings of Silverman et al. (2020) as they examine the effects of explicit language comprehension on various language and literacy outcomes.
A small group of students discuss a book with their teacher

Strategies for Effective Tier 1 Grouping and Differentiation

Tuesday, May 21, 2024
When teachers use data to guide instructional grouping, students can receive targeted, differentiated instruction that meets their needs.
Shawn Datchuk in front of bookshelf

Iowa Department of Education, University of Iowa Announce New Iowa Reading Research Center Director

Wednesday, May 15, 2024
Dr. Shawn Datchuk's leadership and expertise will help the IRRC advance its mission of improving children’s reading proficiency in Iowa.
A father and daughter watching a movie and eating popcorn

Staff Picks: Book-to-Movie Adaptations

Friday, May 10, 2024
Our staff at the Iowa Reading Research Center has compiled a list of our favorite books that have been adapted into movies, including novels, chapter books, and picture books.
A woman sitting on a couch listening to headphones

Speaking of Podcasts: Four SLP and Literacy-Based Podcasts Worth a Listen

Tuesday, May 7, 2024
The IRRC’s assistive technology coordinators discuss some of their favorite podcasts on the intersection of speech, language, and literacy.
A teacher smiling at a student

Research Article of the Month: April 2024

Monday, April 29, 2024
Training in self-regulation has been shown to improve strategy use and reading comprehension outcomes. Denton et al. (2021) examine the feasibility of a reading intervention with a strong self-regulation component.