Helping Students Read Better and Learn More

The Iowa Reading Research Center strives to improve the literacy skills of all students through research with students, professional learning for educators, and technical assistance for school districts.

Shawn Datchuk and Derek Rodgers present to an audience

Iowa Science of Reading Summit

Expand your knowledge of evidence-based instructional practices and the science of reading this July.

A cartoon brain wearing climbing gear stands in front of a camper van and a mountain range.

CLIFTER

CLIFTER is a free tool and eLearning module designed to empower educators and caregivers in supporting students’ cursive handwriting and early reading skills

Two brains riding a motorcycle and one motorcycle with a face drive down a winding road past a sign that says "MOTR."

MOTR-Cycle

The IRRC's new fidelity-monitoring application, MOTR-Cycle, can help classroom observers track opportunities to respond.

Blog

A pyramid with Tier 1 on the bottom, followed by Tier 1.5 above that, followed by Tiers 2 and 3

How Many Tiers of Reading Support Are Enough? Tier 1.5 in Multi-Tiered System of Supports

Tuesday, July 8, 2025
Shawn Datchuk, MEd, PhD
Some research suggests that classwide intervention, or Tier 1.5, can be beneficial when the majority of students in a class are not meeting reading goals.
An image of Dr. Erica Lembre on a yellow background

Using Data to Improve Instruction With Dr. Erica Lembke

Tuesday, July 1, 2025
Kate Will, MA
Dr. Erica Lembke, featured speaker at the 2025 Iowa Science of Reading Summit, shares details about her current research on Data-Based Individualization in math and writing instruction.
A young student holds a dry erase marker up to a white board.

Opportunities to Respond: Implementing a Cycle of Planning, Measuring, and Coaching

Monday, June 23, 2025
Shawn Datchuk, MEd, PhD
Online tools, such as the IRRC’s MOTR-Cycle, can be used to track opportunities to respond and improve student engagement.

News

A teacher stands in front of elementary students raising their hand.

New Fidelity Monitoring Tool for Tracking OTRs in Literacy Instruction

Monday, June 23, 2025
Meg Mechelke
Monitoring opportunities to respond allows administrators to more accurately assess intervention fidelity and effectiveness.
A cartoon brain wearing climbing gear below the text "CLIFTER"

New CLIFTER Literacy Tool for Cursive Handwriting Instruction

Monday, June 2, 2025
Meg Mechelke
The Iowa Reading Research Center releases CLIFTER, a new cursive handwriting application and eLearning module.
A side-by-side comparison of capital and lowercase A, B, and C in both cursive and print

Datchuk Explains the Continued Importance of Cursive Handwriting

Tuesday, May 6, 2025
Iowa Reading Research Center Director Shawn Datchuk explains the potential benefits of cursive handwriting instruction.