WASHINGTON, Aug. 31 /PRNewswire-USNewswire/ -- International Reading Association (IRA) President Patricia Edwards and Center for Universal Education Director Rebecca Winthrop will highlight IRA and the Center for Universal Education at The Brooking Institution's 2010 celebration of International Literacy Day on September 8.  Amber Gove, Senior Research Analyst, RTI International will present the cutting-edge literacy report, Early Reading: Igniting Education for All, on the urgency to support, especially in developing countries, accurate and timely reading assessment and teacher preparation in reading education for K–3 age groups. Audience discussion will follow presentation of the report.

IRA is honored to have Adolph Cameron, the General Secretary for the Jamaican Teachers Association, and USAID Director of Education David Barth address the audience of educators, policy makers, researchers, and humanitarians.

The report shows new evidence of the dire need for immediate improved reading instruction. Teachers, especially in developing areas, need more professional support. For instance, data from South Africa show that in several countries the average teacher does not perform significantly better on reading tests than the highest-level grade 6 students. RTI International's Early Grade Reading Assessment revealed that in some of the 50 assessed countries, 70 to 90 percent of students tested at the end of two to three years of school are unable to read a single word.

One of IRA's specialties is teacher development to improve reading instructional strategies and assessments that build immediate reading teaching techniques and learning improvements in both developed and developing countries. IRA has teacher training efforts in many countries, including Zambia and Sudan.

What:  International Literacy Day 2010

When:  Wednesday, September 8, from 2:00 pm – 4:00 pm, reception to follow

Where:   Center for Universal Education, The Brookings Institution, 1775 Massachusetts Ave., NW, Washington, DC

To RSVP please visit http://www.brookings.edu/events/2010/0908_early_reading.aspx

IRA is also offering webinars in honor of ILD: Building Support for Effective Reading Instruction, featuring IRA President Patricia Edwards, Richard Carson (Rotary Representative to the Organization of American States), and Instructor Judy Backlund (IRA member and Rotary Club President) on September 7th (6 PM EST), connect at  http://connectpro49244956.acrobat.com/r55811494/, or September 8th (8 AM EST), connect at http://connectpro49244956.acrobat.com/r47336311/.

The International Reading Association is a community of reading professionals with approximately 70,000 members in nearly 100 countries, dedicated to promoting higher achievement levels in literacy, reading, and communication worldwide. A network of 1,250 councils and more than 40 international affiliates forms IRA's working foundation. www.reading.org

SOURCE International Reading Association

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RELATED LINKS
http://www.reading.org/
http://www.brookings.edu