[Federal Register Volume 63, Number 70 (Monday, April 13, 1998)]
[Notices]
[Page 18031]
From the Federal Register Online via the Government Publishing Office [www.gpo.gov]
[FR Doc No: 98-9573]


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DEPARTMENT OF HEALTH AND HUMAN SERVICES

National Institutes of Health


National Institute of Child Health and Human Development; Meeting 
of the National Reading Panel

    Notice is hereby given of the inaugural meeting of the National 
Reading Panel. The meeting will be held in Building 31, Conference Room 
6, National Institutes of Health, 9000 Rockville Pike, Bethesda, 
Maryland 20892. The meeting will begin at 9:00 a.m. on April 24, 1998, 
and is expected to adjourn at 4:00 p.m. The entire meeting will be open 
to the public.
    The National Reading Panel was requested by Congress and created by 
the Director of the National Institute of Child Health and Human 
Development in consultation with the Secretary of Education. The Panel 
will study the effectiveness of various approaches to teaching children 
how to read and report on the best ways to apply these findings in 
classrooms and at home. Its members include prominent reading 
researchers, teachers, child development experts, leaders in elementary 
and higher education, and parents. The Chair of the Panel is Dr. Donald 
N. Langenberg, Chancellor of the University System of Maryland.
    The Panel will build on the recently announced findings presented 
by the National Research Council's Committee on the Prevention of 
Reading Difficulties in Young Children. Based on a review of the 
literature, the Panel will: determine the readiness for application in 
the classroom of the results of these research studies; identify 
appropriate means to rapidly disseminate this information to facilitate 
effective reading instruction in the schools; and identify gaps in the 
knowledge base for reading instruction and the best ways to close these 
gaps.
    The inaugural meeting will address issues of Panel organization, 
task assignment, and scheduling of future meetings. A period of time 
will be set aside at approximately 3:00 p.m. for members of the public 
to address the Panel and express their views regarding the Panel's 
mission. Individuals desiring an opportunity to speak before the Panel 
should address their requests to F. William Dommel, Jr., Executive 
Director, National Reading Panel, c/o Ms. Jaimee Nusbacher and either 
mail them to IQ Solutions, 11300 Rockville Pike, Suite 801, Rockville, 
Maryland 20852, email them to [email protected], or fax them 
to (301) 984-1473. Requests for addressing the Panel should be received 
by April 13, 1998. Panel business permitting, each public presenter 
will be allowed five minutes to present his or her views. In the event 
of a large number of public presenters, the Panel Chair retains the 
option to further limit the presentation time allowed to each. Although 
the time permitted for oral presentations will be brief, the full text 
of all written comments submitted to the Panel will be made available 
to the Panel members for consideration.
    For further information contact Ms. Jaimee Nusbacher, (301) 984-
1471. Individuals who plan to attend and need special assistance, such 
as sign language interpretation or other reasonable accommodations, 
should contact Ms. Jaimee Nusbacher no later than April 13, 1998.

    Dated: April 3, 1998.
Duane Alexander,
Director, National Institute of Child Health and Human Development.
[FR Doc. 98-9573 Filed 4-10-98; 8:45 am]
BILLING CODE 4140-01-M