news

A girl sits in her mother's lap in a lawn chair as they read a book together

Staff Picks: Cozy Thanksgiving Reads

Wednesday, November 26, 2025
Staff members at the Iowa Reading Research Center share some of their favorite books with themes of gratitude to celebrate Thanksgiving.
An educator and a parent sit with a child at a table

New Training Grant Prepares Professionals to Support Students With Diverse Needs

Tuesday, November 18, 2025
Project I-CORE will provide 14 education professionals with comprehensive training in Applied Behavior Analysis (ABA) to support students with disabilities.
student works on writing while teacher watches

New LIFTER Assessments Aim to Improve Student Handwriting Fluency

Tuesday, September 23, 2025
The Iowa Reading Research Center’s LIFTER (Letter Identification and Formation for Transcription and Early Reading) eLearning module and application now include handwriting assessments.

New Practice Assessment Strengthens Teacher Knowledge of the Science of Reading

Monday, August 18, 2025
The Iowa Reading Research Center's new practice assessment provides teachers with an opportunity to apply critical concepts from the science of reading.
A screenshot of the Tier 1.5 Calculator shows boxes where users can input screening assessment data.

New Tier 1.5 Calculator Supports Data-Based Decision-Making for Core Instruction

Tuesday, July 22, 2025
The IRRC's new online tool for assessing student instructional needs is now available.
A teacher stands in front of elementary students raising their hand.

New Fidelity Monitoring Tool for Tracking OTRs in Literacy Instruction

Monday, June 23, 2025
Monitoring opportunities to respond allows administrators to more accurately assess intervention fidelity and effectiveness.
A cartoon brain wearing climbing gear below the text "CLIFTER"

New CLIFTER Literacy Tool for Cursive Handwriting Instruction

Monday, June 2, 2025
The Iowa Reading Research Center releases CLIFTER, a new cursive handwriting application and eLearning module.
A side-by-side comparison of capital and lowercase A, B, and C in both cursive and print

Datchuk Explains the Continued Importance of Cursive Handwriting

Tuesday, May 6, 2025
Iowa Reading Research Center Director Shawn Datchuk explains the potential benefits of cursive handwriting instruction.
Headshot of Student Writer Sydney Smithgall

Smithgall Recognized for Their Work at the Iowa Reading Research Center

Thursday, April 17, 2025
IRRC Student Writer Sydney Smithgall is recognized as a category winner for the University of Iowa's Student Employee of the Year award.
Homescreen of the Understanding Your Students Literacy Data eLearning Module

Introducing New Data Literacy Resources for Caregivers and Educators

Tuesday, February 18, 2025
The IRRC is releasing new resources to facilitate communication between teachers and caregivers about student literacy data.
Books of all colors are lined up in front of a green background.

Staff Picks: Book Series

Thursday, January 9, 2025
Our staff members share their favorite book series from childhood.
girl with headphones writes at desk

National Novel Writing Month: Tips for Long-Form Writing

Wednesday, November 6, 2024
November is National Novel Writing Month (NaNoWriMo)! Learn tips for staying motivated during long writing projects.