Plan on being in Eugene, Oregon, July 15-19, 2024, to attend the 50^th National Direct Instruction Conference and Institutes. We are planning an amazing week of training and special events to celebrate this milestone.

The conference began as a small, regional training held at a high school in Eugene with an attendance of 80 educators, mostly from the West Coast. Since 1974, as many as 750 educators from around the world have gathered each year in Eugene to attend what is regarded as the most comprehensive DI training available. NIFDI began sponsoring the conference in 2014 and has expanded the offerings to include a 5-day Administrator Leadership Institute, a greater variety of preconference sessions, and training on the full range of DI programs.

Registration will open in February! Be sure to mark your calendars and begin making your travel plans now!

Join veteran trainer Tamara Bressi on December 14 & 15 for NIFDI's popular academy– Analyzing Data, Classroom Observations & Providing Feedback. This two-day training at the Cambria Hotel Orlando Airport is designed for instructional coaches, peer coaches, and others responsible for observing instruction and improving student performance.

Through demonstrations, practice, and hands-on activities, participants will learn how to:
Gain meaningful information from lesson progress and in-program mastery data.
Model how to improve written records.
Conduct supportive classroom observations and demonstrations aimed at increasing student success.
Provide effective oral and written feedback to instructors to directly impact student performance.
Conduct classroom demonstrations, in-class coaching, and team teaching.
Design and deliver effective, ongoing professional development sessions. 
A description and registration information is available here. You can also contact Bryan Wickman, NIFDI's Outreach Events Coordinator, at 1.877.485.1973 or by email at bwickman@nifdi.org with questions or for more information
sessions.

We are sad to report that Dr. Sara Tarver passed away on Monday, October 16.

Sara was a longtime advocate for Direct Instruction. Her work as a researcher and teacher educator at the University of Wisconsin-Madison influenced the lives of hundreds of future educators. In 1985, she was central in the formation of the Wisconsin Association for Direct Instruction and helped facilitate the Wisconsin Direct Instruction conference for many years.

Click here for her full obituary. As you will read, she led a rich life and gave her all professionally. She was a fierce advocate for the right for children to be taught with effective instructional practices.

NIFDI is gathering testimonials and tributes to Sara to place on our website as a lasting tribute to her work. Please send us any remembrances, tributes, links to, or copies of her work to info@nifdi.org.

In a recent meeting of researchers, teacher educators, and experienced elementary educators, the National Council on Teacher Quality (NCTQ) gave Direct Instruction Reading by Doug Carnine, Jerry Silbert, Ed Kame’enui, Tim Slocum, and Patricia Travers a rating of Exemplary. The panel of experts examines how well material aligns with scientifically based reading instruction. In popularity, DI Reading is number 94 out of over 1100 reviewed materials. With the current groundswell of interest in the science of reading, we hope to see more instructors adopting DI Reading in their coursework.

Click here to read the full review.