Finding the Right Texts: What Works for Beginning and Struggling Readers

Elfrieda H. Hiebert, PhD, is CEO and President of TextProject, Inc. She has worked in the field of early reading acquisition for more than 40 years as a classroom teacher, teacher educator, and researcher. Her research, which addresses how fluency, vocabulary, and knowledge can be fostered through appropriate texts, has been published in numerous scholarly journals and books. Dr. Hieberts contributions to research and practice have been recognized with such honors as the Research to Practice Award from the American Educational Research Association and the Oscar S. Causey Award from the Literacy Research Association.   Misty Sailors, PhD, is Associate Professor of Literacy Education in the Department of Interdisciplinary Learning and Teaching at the University of Texas at San Antonio. Her current research focuses on the instruction that surrounds elementary classroom texts, teacher education, and language policies related to reading instruction in international settings. Dr. Sailors is the Primary Investigator of a Teacher Quality Professional Development Reading grant. She also directs a project to develop reading and content-area materials for elementary learners in South Africa, funded by the United States Agency for International Development. Dr. Sailors is a recipient of the Presidents Distinguished Achievement Award for Teaching Excellence from the University of Texas at San Antonio and the Recognition Award for Emerging Scholars from the American Association of University Women.