One cause of our national (and international) literacy crisis is that most colleges and universities have failed to adequately instruct our future instructors on proven, researched methods and materials.

In the Sold a Story podcasts released last year, an entire episode featured testimonials by dozens of teachers who said they had never been taught how to effectively teach reading to their students.

To help remedy this, NIFDI has partnered with The Reading Science Academy and Mount Saint Joseph University to offer a course designed for university and college professors who want to learn more about how to develop high-quality literacy courses based on evidence from the Science of Reading. Beginning May 15 through July 10, the online course The Science of Reading and Direct Instruction will meet. Taught by Drs. Marcy Stein and Dianne Kinder, this course will focus on the Direct Instruction (DI) approach, using Direct Instruction Reading (Carnine et al., 2017) as the primary text. Further, the course will address how to develop literacy courses according to the International Dyslexia Association Knowledge and Practice Standards. The course will be taught in two parts. The focus of Part I will be on beginning reading instruction (grades K-2) and reading interventions while the focus of Part II will be on intermediate reading instruction (grades 3-5) and content area literacy.

Click here to register or read more information about this important course.

Plan on being in Eugene, Oregon, July 15-19, 2024, to attend the 50th 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.

This year's opening keynote will be delivered by Mr. Casey Sovo, an enrolled member of the Comanche Nation, who began working for the Bureau of Indian Education (BIE) in 2001 as a high school English Language Arts teacher and became the Education Program Administrator for the New Mexico South Education Line Office (now called the Albuquerque Bureau-Operated Schools Education Resource Center) in July 2010. Mr. Sovo deeply believes in the power of education to provide opportunities for changing the outcomes for future generations. He is a strong proponent of Direct Instruction and has supported its implementation in many BIE schools. His story is informative and inspiring.

Please join us this July for the most comprehensive Direct Instruction training available–anywhere!

Educational Achievement Publishing has just released a digital version of Direct Instruction Spoken English (DISE). DISE is an explicit, systematic instructional program that helps English language learners in grades four and higher acquire a functional mastery of spoken English in less than a year. Click here for more information on DISE.

The digital edition has the same content as the print version but has the advantage of being easily accessed on a laptop or other device. Priced lower than the print edition, Digital DISE is ready to use immediately! Also, users will not incur shipping charges or have to wait for delivery. For pricing and ordering information, click here.

Are you looking for a funding source to help support your Direct Instruction implementation? The Engelmann Foundation, created in 1997, could be the answer to your need. The foundation is dedicated to continuing the legacy of Siegfried "Zig"

Engelmann through the support, promotion, and development of educators around the world who implement Direct Instruction with their students.

Over the years, the foundation has distributed 112 grants totaling over $729,000. The Engelmann Foundation offers two grant opportunities: General Grants and Conference Grants. General Grants are designed to support projects, training and development, implementation, and other similar endeavors that utilize Direct Instruction (DI) programs. Conference Grants are tailored to provide funds to attend the annual National Direct Instruction Conference hosted by the National Institute for Direct Instruction in Eugene, Oregon, each July. Both grant application types operate on a twice-yearly schedule. The deadline for submitting grants for the current cycle is April 1, with the second submission date falling on October 2.