Iowa Reading Research Center

10/16/2026

Friday Reads Recommendation! “The Boy Who Found His Voice” by Tyler Gordon tells the true story of Tyler, a boy with a stutter. This autobiographical story would be the perfect book to read on National Stuttering Awareness Day on October 22. And to encourage students to share their own stories, you can check out the IRRC’s free nonfiction writing prompts: https://irrc.education.uiowa.edu/resources/irrc-resources/writing-prompts

10/15/2026

Staff Spotlight! Wren Bouwman is the project coordinator for Project Skyword, which aims to examine the effectiveness of a personalized reading intervention program. Outside of work, she enjoys reading, sewing, and volunteering at her community theater.

10/14/2026

The effectiveness of the Multi-Tiered System of Supports depends on implementation fidelity and instructional alignment. Read our new report to learn what the research says about these two key features of Tier 2 reading interventions:https://irrc.education.uiowa.edu/sites/irrc.education.uiowa.edu/files/2026-10/Measure-FIRST-Technical-Report.pdf

10/13/2026

New resources, new blogs, and new research! Read our October update to learn about all that’s new at the Iowa Reading Research Center:

Mark your calendars! We're excited to announce that the 2027 Iowa Science of Reading Summit will be held on June 29–30, 2027, at the DoubleTree by Hilton Cedar Rapids Convention Complex. Subscribe to our summit email list, check out the summit website, and follow us on social media to receive the ...

10/09/2026

What are the reading and writing skills that students develop across K-5, and what instructional strategies can you use to support all students? The IRRC’s “Effective Literacy Instruction” eLearning module covers five components of effective and systematic literacy instruction: https://irrc.education.uiowa.edu/professional-development/online-learning -literacy-instruction

10/08/2026

How do you communicate with families about universal screeners? The Educator Letter Builder is a free tool designed to help educators communicate with caregivers about students’ universal screening results through customizable letters. https://irrc.education.uiowa.edu/resources/apps-and-tools -letter-builder

10/07/2026

New resource! The Learning Disability Hub is designed for educators and caregivers and provides research-based information to build understanding and support for students with learning disabilities. https://irrc.education.uiowa.edu/resources/learning-disability-hub

10/06/2026

In our latest Q&A, Special Education Professor Seth King shares his early experiences in school as someone who was identified as having a learning disability and being academically gifted. Read the full interview on the IRRC blog: https://irrc.education.uiowa.edu/blog/2026/10/you-can-do-both-growing-twice-exceptional-seth-king

10/05/2026

Mark your calendars! The 2027 Iowa Science of Reading Summit will take place June 29-30 in Cedar Rapids. Stay tuned to learn who this year’s keynote and featured speakers will be: https://irrc.education.uiowa.edu/iowa-science-reading-summit

10/02/2026

Friday Reads Recommendation! “I Am Malala” by Yousafzai is an autobiography about Yousafzai’s activism for female education. Download free graphic organizers to support students in comprehending the main ideas of the book: https://irrc.education.uiowa.edu/resources/irrc-resources/reading-graphic-organizers