IRRC Research Overview
The Iowa Reading Research Center conducts literacy research and evaluation studies to guide the improvement of reading instruction and the reading performance of students. Scientific research, such as that conducted at the Iowa Reading Research Center, provides the best guidance on what works in reading instruction for all students and reading interventions for students experiencing difficulties. Our rigorous studies can identify valid and reliable reading assessments, guide data-based decision-making practices, and inform high-quality professional learning for educators. Findings of research conducted at the Iowa Reading Research Center have a direct application to schools and classrooms, and they can inform literacy education policy in Iowa.
Being part of a top-tier research institution at the University of Iowa College of Education provides the Iowa Reading Research Center a rich academic environment and infrastructure to support a multifaceted research agenda.
Staff at the Iowa Reading Research Center have been involved in reading research at the national, state, and local level. Our staff members’ research specialties include literacy instruction for students with disabilities, content area reading instruction, reading instruction in correctional settings, identifying cognitive contributors to poor performance in literacy outcomes, quantitative methodology, instructional effectiveness, reading assessment, and literacy development across the lifespan.