In a webinar sponsored by McGraw-Hill International, Noel Pearson, Founder and Chair of Good to Great Schools Australia (GGSA), spoke to over 700 educators. His talk focused on how Direct Instruction is the most promising approach to solving the performance gap among Australian students. The process must start in primary school, Pearson said. "The achievement gap between the children who leave our remote schools is up to five to six years behind the mainstream, so when our children turn up in Cairns, or Brisbane, or Townsville, they find themselves with peers who are many years ahead of them, and this, of course, drives loneliness, disappointment, and children dropping out, because we didn't furnish them with the education they needed to succeed."

Click here to view Pearson's powerful and persuasive message. You can also view the written summary here.

The 50th National Direct Instruction Conference and Institutes was held in Eugene, Oregon, July 15-19. At the opening on July 16, students Sho-un Tanaka of Eugene, Oregon, and Jackson Willis from Springfield, Australia, were presented with the Carnine/McRoberts Student Improvement Awards. Doug and Linda Carnine presented the awards. They related how these students, in partnership with dedicated instructors effectively delivering Direct Instruction programs, showed amazing growth. Click here to view their very compelling stories.

After the student award presentations, NIFDI President Kurt Engelmann introduced keynote speaker Casey Sovo. Casey is the Superintendent of several very remote Bureau of Indian Education schools in North Dakota. His inspiring keynote focused on how the school improvement efforts were guided by the seven tenets of the Turtle Mountain Band of the Chippewa Indians. He presented an amazing story of resilience and perseverance by the staff and students to implement DI with fidelity. Click here to view the story of their success.

On July 18, a reception was held to celebrate the 50th Anniversary of the National Direct Instruction Conference and to present the Siegfried Engelmann Excellence in Education Awards to Kate Walsh Little from Baltimore, Maryland, Betsy Primm from Atlanta, Georgia, and Zoe Anlezark from Springfield, Australia.

The Wesley Becker Excellent School Award recognition was given to Mastery Schools Australia Springfield Academy and Hampstead Hill Academy in Baltimore, Maryland. Dr. Sara Tarver, a Professor at the University of Wisconsin, Madison, was inducted into the Direct Instruction Hall of Fame posthumously.

Click here to see the presentation and acceptance of each of these awards.

To celebrate the 50th Anniversary of the conference, a panel of speakers, including Linda Carnine, Jerry Silbert, Geoff Colvin, and Doug Carnine, spoke on the relevance of Direct Instruction from its inception to the current time. Arguably, now more than ever, there is a need for the implementation of Direct Instruction programs for the benefit of all of our students. Click here to hear the panel's comments.

On July 19, Kurt Engelmann presented his closing remarks. He highlighted the key elements needed to become a successful teacher with DI. Click here to watch his presentation.

NIFDI will be presenting at the National Autism Conference in Harrisburg, Pennsylvania, on August 7^th. Faun Hyde-Olivera and Randi Saulter will present a session titled Specific Direct Instruction Programs that Meet the Needs of Students Diagnosed with Autism. The session will provide program overviews and teach specific strategies for children with autism. For more information on the conference and the session, click here. 

We will also be exhibiting at the conference. If you attend, be sure and stop by our booth!

Episode 5 of The Direct Instruction Podcast has been released. This episode answers the question, “How Has DI Impacted Reading Proficiency in Indigenous Communities?” Zach Groshell interviewed Casey Sovo, a member of the Comanche Nation and a 20-year educator. He is currently an administrator for the Bureau of Indian Education. Casey will be the keynote speaker at the 50^th National Direct Instruction Conference.