[Federal Register Volume 64, Number 7 (Tuesday, January 12, 1999)]
[Notices]
[Pages 1816-1817]
From the Federal Register Online via the Government Publishing Office [www.gpo.gov]
[FR Doc No: 99-601]


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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 fifth Washington area meeting of the 
National Reading Panel. The meeting will be held on Thursday, January 
21, 1999, from 12:30 to 6:00 PM at the Holiday Inn Georgetown, 2101 
Wisconsin Avenue, NW, Washington, DC 20007. 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 agenda for this meeting will include discussing the 
recommendations made by the science members of the National Reading 
Panel, who have been developing a proposed methodology to select and 
evaluate research studies. A period of time will be set aside at 
approximately 4:00 PM for members of the public to address the Panel 
and express their view regarding the Panel's mission. Individuals 
desiring an opportunity to speak before the Panel should address their 
requests to F. William Dommel, Jr., J.D., 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 by 
January 15, 1999. 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 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 by January 15, 1999.


[[Page 1817]]


    Dated: December 23, 1998.
Duane Alexander,
Director, National Institute of Child Health and Human Development.
[FR Doc. 99-601 Filed 1-11-99; 8:45 am]
BILLING CODE 4140-01-M