Making Reading Count

Washington, D.C. (Sept. 15, 2006) – Teachers and parents interested in the best strategies for teaching reading comprehension can watch ReadingRockets.org's latest webcast, Make Reading Count: Effective Strategies for Teaching Comprehension. It will be recorded on October 4, 2006, at WETA studios in Arlington, Virginia and will be available for viewing at ReadingRockets.org/webcasts on October 25, 2006, along with a transcript, presenter biographies, recommended readings, and sample discussion questions. Technical questions are also answered on the site.

The webcast panel includes three national leaders in the field of reading comprehension:

Isabel Beck, professor of education and senior scientist at the University of Pittsburgh. Dr. Beck's recent book, Improving Comprehension with Questioning the Author and her bestseller Bringing Words to Life address the importance of helping children comprehend the great books they read.

Nanci Bell, director, CEO and co-founder of Lindamood-Bell Learning Processes. Bell created the program Visualizing and Verbalizing for Language Comprehension and Thinking, and she conducted research on language and literacy development. She is recognized for her extensive work in the clinical treatment of language and literacy disorders.

Sharon Walpole, assistant professor at the University of Delaware's school of education. Walpole is involved in the design, implementation, and evaluation of school-wide reading programs. As part of the Reading Excellence Act and Reading First reforms, Dr. Walpole has collaborated with literacy coaches across the country to help improve young children's reading and comprehension.

Delia Pompa, vice president of the Center for Community Educational Excellence at the National Council of La Raza, serves as moderator.

"We are honored to these outstanding leaders on our webcast," said Noel Gunther, executive director of ReadingRockets.org. "Comprehension is critical to putting children on the path to reading success."

Please visit Make Reading Count to enjoy and learn about what it takes to make reading count. To find out more about Reading Rockets and its programs, visit ReadingRockets.org. Or contact Renée Hockaday (rhockaday@weta.com, 703/998-2440) or Barbara Pape (bpape@weta.com, 703/998-2474).

ReadingRockets.org is a service of public broadcasting station WETA, Washington, D.C., and receives major funding from the U.S. Department of Education, Office of Special Education Programs. WETA is the third-largest producing station of programming for the Public Broadcasting Service (PBS) and the flagship public broadcaster in the nation's capital. Reading Rockets recently produced the PBS documentary Reading and the Brain, hosted by actor Henry Winkler, which explores how brain scientists are working to solve the puzzle of why some children struggle to read and others don't. Sharon Percy Rockefeller is president and CEO of WETA.

ReadingRockets.org is one of three award-winning national educational Web sites produced by WETA. ColorinColorado.org is the first major bilingual Web site for parents and educators of English language learners. ColorinColorado.org is funded in part by the American Federation of Teachers and the National Institute for Literacy. LDOnLine.org is the world's leading Web site on learning disabilities. LDOnLine.org is made possible in part by generous support from Lindamood-Bell Learning Processes®.

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