Check out the Haan Foundation "Power4Kids" Website

Mrs. Cynthis Haan and her husband, Ron, are the founders of the Haan Foundation for Children; they are currently helping to fund the largest clinical trial of reading intervention ever conducted in our public schools. This research project is called "Power4Kids". You will find partnerships with some of the nation's most prominent researchers in the areas of literacy and reading assessment as well as other noted collaborators--go to the Haan Foundation "Power4Kids" website and you will see many names connected with IDA that you recognize!

Take a gander around the website to find summaries of the foundation's beliefs, purpose, and some highly memorable quotes. "Power4Kids"is striving to provide evidence-based facts about what works best for which kids under which conditions. This is one of my favorite quotes about improving the effectiveness of American education by concluding that:

"Instruction for early readers in phonemic awareness and phonics, and guided oral reading with feedback (the average student in these interventions reads more proficiently than approximately 70% of students in the control group)." Sounds like someone else is playing our song--what do you think?

I think this is one research project we will all want to watch!! Let me know your thoughts on the website.

Making Better Use of Our Blog

It seems as if our Eastern Region IDA blog is not being used as much as I hoped it would be! I would like to receive some feedback from you folks about how we can rejuvenate this modern opportunity to have meaningful dialogue between the branches in our region, parents, IDA members, and professionals . After all, the blog can take about any form we might like it to assume. We can discuss IDA news, upcoming events, branch happenings, or professional questions relative to dyslexia. I see blogs all the time on netflix and various news shows, and they work well-- so, with individuals as passionate as we are about dyslexia we ought to be experiencing some thoughtful exchanges.

Here is one area that I am interested in knowing more about. Are you increasing in the number of I & R calls that you receive each month and how are you handling them? The VA Branch is thinking of some updated ways of managing this that I am sure the new VBIDA president, Leslie Daise, or the Branch Manager/Webmaster and Designer, Jackie Jones, would love to share with you. So, let us hear what you are doing and if it is an efficient approach to providing info to the public.

So, please advertise our blog on your website (easternregionida.blogspot.com) and let's get some notes flying!!