[Federal Register Volume 63, Number 130 (Wednesday, July 8, 1998)]
[Notices]
[Pages 36927-36928]
From the Federal Register Online via the Government Publishing Office [www.gpo.gov]
[FR Doc No: 98-18129]


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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 the final scheduled regional meeting and 
one national meeting of the National Reading Panel.
    The regional meeting will be held on July 9 at Murrah High School 
Auditorium, 1400 Murrah Drive, Jackson, MS 39202. This meeting will 
begin at 10:00 AM and is expected to adjourn at 3:00 or 4:00 PM. The 
entire meeting will be open to the public. Previous regional meetings 
were held as announced in Chicago, IL on May 29, Portland, OR on June 
5, Houston, TX on June 8, and New York, NY on June 23.
    The national meeting will be held on July 24 in Building 31, C-
Wing, 6th floor Conference Room area, at National Institutes of Health, 
9000 Rockville Pike, Bethesda, Maryland 20892. The meeting is 
tentatively scheduled to begin at 9:00 AM and is expected to adjourn at 
4:00 PM. 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 at 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, D.C. 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

[[Page 36928]]

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 at 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: June 29, 1998.
Duane Alexander,
Director, National Institute of Child Health and Human Development.
[FR Doc. 98-18129 Filed 7-7-98; 8:45 am]
BILLING CODE 4140-01-M