The Center for the Study of Reading (CSR) was a research center that focused on the study of reading and language development. It was established by the National Institute of Education in response to growing concern about the quality of reading instruction in American schools.

The proposal

In 1976, I was a core writer for the proposal. The project was awarded to the University of Illinois at Urbana-Champaign with a major subcontract to BBN.

That proposal became the basis for the book, Theoretical issues in reading comprehension: Perspectives from cognitive psychology, linguistics, artificial intelligence, and education. More significantly, it led to new theory and practice related to reading, especially reading comprehension, 1976-2000; with Dick Anderson, Rand Spiro, Bill Brewer, and many colleagues at BBN.

Research

The Center conducted research on a variety of topics related to reading and language development, including reading comprehension, vocabulary acquisition, and the role of language in learning. It also provided training and professional development opportunities for educators and researchers in the field of reading.

The Center was known for its contributions to the understanding of reading and language development and for its work in developing effective reading interventions for struggling readers.