Plan on being in Eugene, Oregon, July 21-25, 2025, to attend the 51st National Direct Instruction Conference and Institutes. We are planning an amazing week of training and special events this year.

We are featuring new offerings this year, including

• DI and the Science of Reading–This session, presented by Dr. Marcy Stein, will outline how Direct Instruction reading curricula exemplify the findings from the science of reading.

• DI and the Science of Learning–In this session, Dr. Zach Groshell will present key cognitive science findings and components that are essential for effective learning and show how these findings are incorporated into DI programs.

There is also a 4-day institute designed for higher-education instructors on how to incorporate DI into their teacher preparation courses, as well as our other popular Administrator Leadership, Coaching, and Trainer Training institutes.

We are excited to host Dr. Jan Hasbrouck as our featured keynote speaker this year. Jan has a long history with Direct Instruction, having received her B.A. and M.A. at the University of Oregon. She is the author and co-author of several books and instructional programs. See www.janhasbrouck.com for more info on Dr. Hasbrouck's accomplishments.

  pdf Download the brochure for complete session descriptions and register online here!

Jessica Colleu Terradas, Senior Officer Literacy Specialist in the Archdiocese of Canberra & Goulburn, Australia, recently interviewed Tamara Bressi, Implementation Manager at the National Institute for Direct Instruction (NIFDI) and a highly experienced DI teacher, trainer, and coach. In July 2023, Jessica attended the Institute on Becoming an Effective Direct Instruction Trainer, which was co-led by Tamara, as part of the National DI Conference in Eugene.

Click here to watch the interview, which provides a wealth of information on how to optimize a DI implementation through intentional setup, coaching, and other types of support.

An important feature of successful Direct Instruction implementations is to celebrate success—the success of students, teachers, and entire schools. Each year, we recognize individuals and schools that have made a significant difference in the educational performance of children through the following awards:

• The Carnine-McRoberts Student Improvement Award – This award honors the parents of Doug and Linda Carnine. It is given to a student who has demonstrated outstanding improvement, academic or behavioral. Teachers submit nominations. The winner, selected by Doug and Linda Carnine, will be presented with a plaque and $1,000. The winner's school will also receive $1,000.

• Siegfried Engelmann Excellence in Education Award – This award is named after Siegfried “Zig” Engelmann, co-creator of Direct Instruction, senior author of the DI programs, and founder of NIFDI. The recipient of this award can be anyone – a teacher, paraprofessional, administrator, college professor, etc. – who has provided a significant contribution to the field of education and/or student achievement.

• Wes Becker Excellent School Award – This award is named after Wesley Becker, co-creator of Direct Instruction and longtime Professor of Educational Psychology at the University of Oregon. This award is given to a school for exemplary implementation of Direct Instruction.

Please take the opportunity to honor a member of the DI “family.” The nomination process is simple and means so much to the individuals and our profession. Please identify and nominate a colleague and/or school that has made a difference. Nomination applications are short (1-2 pages) and are due in our office by June 3rd. Download the application packet today or click the award titles above to complete the online applications.

NIFDI has released two new videos describing the success experienced when Dixons Manningham (DM) Primary School in Bradford, England, partnered with NIFDI in 2019. While students in many schools experienced a decline in performance during the COVID pandemic, students at DM achieved dramatic success in the primary grades.

In the first video, DM leaders Terri Leighton, Yasmin Ali, and Abigail Burrow discuss the school’s journey from implementing Corrective Reading to implementing Reading Mastery Signature Edition reading and language tracks as core instruction for all primary-grade students. They describe the remarkable changes in students’ ability to read and understand grade-level texts. Clips of students receiving instruction and participating in other activities are interspersed throughout the video.

In the second video, NIFDI Implementation Manager Kris Althoff tells the story of Dixons Manningham from an implementor’s perspective. She details the steps taken to support staff and leadership, which led to tremendous student success.

Click here to learn about Dixon Manningham’s story.