[Federal Register Volume 63, Number 105 (Tuesday, June 2, 1998)]
[Notices]
[Pages 30008-30009]
From the Federal Register Online via the Government Publishing Office [www.gpo.gov]
[FR Doc No: 98-14495]


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DEPARTMENT OF HEALTH AND HUMAN SERVICES

National Institutes of Health


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

    Notice is hereby given of five regional meetings and one national 
meeting of the National Reading Panel. The regional meetings will be 
held on May 29, 1998, in Chicago, Illinois; June 5, 1998, in Portland 
Oregon, June 8, 1998, in Houston, Texas; June 23, 1998 in New York 
City, New York; and July 9, 1998, in Jackson, Mississippi. The national 
meeting will be held July 24, 1998, in Bethesda, Maryland. The regional 
meeting in Chicago will take place at Illinois Room at the Chicago 
Circle Center (CCC), University of Illinois at Chicago, 750 South 
Halsted Street, Chicago, IL 60607. The Chicago meeting will begin at 
9:30 a.m. and is expected to adjourn at 4:00 p.m. The entire meeting 
will be open to the public. The precise times and sites for the other 
meetings listed will be published when the plans for the meetings at 
those sites are finalized.
    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

[[Page 30009]]

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 purpose of the meetings of the Panel will be to provide an 
opportunity for interaction between the Panel members regarding the 
Panel's charge and to receive input from experts and the general public 
regarding that charge. Through these interactions the Panel hopes to 
make its task clear to others while gaining useful input from those it 
intends to inform. A period of time will be set aside 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. Amy Andryszak and 
either mail them to the Widmeyer-Baker Group, 1875 Connecticut Avenue 
NW., Suite 800, Washington, DC 20009, or e-mail them to [email protected] 
or fax them to 202-667-0902. Requests for addressing the Panel should 
be received as soon as possible. Panel business permitting, each public 
speaker will be allowed five minutes to present his or her views. In 
the event of a large number of public speakers, 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. Amy Andryszak 202-667-0901. 
Individuals who plan to attend and need special assistance, such as 
sign language interpretation or other reasonable accommodations, should 
contact Ms. Amy Andryszak as soon as possible.

    Dated: May 26, 1998.
Duane Alexander,
Director, National Institute of Child Health and Human Development.
[FR Doc. 98-14495 Filed 6-1-98; 8:45 am]
BILLING CODE 4140-01-M