Title Page & Abstract
An Interview with Dr. Richard Anderson
Part of the Abraham Lincoln Presidential Library
1985 Educational Reform Act Oral History project
Interview # E85-A-L-2015-014
Dr. Richard Anderson, Director for the Center For the Study of Reading, University of Illinois, was interviewed on the date listed below as part of the Abraham Lincoln Presidential Library’s Education Is Key: 1985 Educational Reform Act Oral History project.
Interview dates & location:
Date: Mar 17, 2015 Location: University of Illinois, Champaign, Illinois
Interview Format: Digital audio
Interviewer: Philip Pogue, ALPL volunteer
Transcript being processed.
Transcription by: _________________________
Edited by: _______________________________
Total Pages: ______ Total Time: 1:10 / 1.17 hrs.
Accessioned into the Abraham Lincoln Presidential Library Archives on May 27, 2015.
The interview is archived at the Abraham Lincoln Presidential Library in Springfield, Illinois.
© 2015 Abraham Lincoln Presidential Library
Abstract
Dr. Richard Anderson, 1985 Education Reform Act, E85-A-L-2015-014
Biographical Information Overview of Interview: Richard Anderson was born in River Falls, Wisconsin in May, 1934. He attended River Falls schools, graduating from River Falls High School. Richard earned a bachelor’s degree in History from Harvard University in 1956, a master’s degree in social science education from Harvard in 1957, and an ED.D in educational psychology from Harvard in 1960. His professional career started in Concord, Massachusetts as a junior high and high school social studies teacher. He then taught at New York University and later served in administration at East Brunswick, New Jersey. In 1963, Richard joined the faculty at the University of Illinois in the Educational Psychology Department. Richard served as director for the Center for the Study of Reading, which at one time had over 100 employees, including thirty-five Ph.D.s and thirty graduate assistants. The Center’s mission included reaching children who fail to read, helping all children to acquire knowledge from the written word, and improving the education of reading teachers. Reading Recovery training was one of their model pilot on site programs. As a result the Center has served teachers and schools throughout the nation. Currently, the Center is helping with the reading of Chinese and Collaborative Reading.
This interview covers the work at the Center for the Study of Reading and its involvement with the reading reforms addressed in the 1985 Educational Reform Act. Anderson reviews the At Risk program, Reading Improvement Grant (Grades 1-6), full day kindergarten, teacher professional development, state learning goals and assessments, parent programs-birth to five, teacher evaluation, literacy grants, and bilingual assessment tests. Anderson also covers the Center’s role in reading recovery and how it was implemented by the school districts. Some of the Center’s major works were discussed, including “Becoming a Nation of Readers” and “10 Ways to help your Children Become Better Readers.” The interview also covers how the popular video series, “Teaching Reading: Strategies from Successful Classroom Teachers” was created.
Subject Headings/Key Words: Illinois Center for the Study of Reading; implementation of Reading Recovery and Project Success; teacher training on best practices in reading; role of phonics, whole language, fluency, comprehension, and vocabulary development in developing reading skills; literacy education; “Becoming a Nation of Readers”; “10 Ways to help your Children Become Better Readers.”; “Teaching Reading: Strategies from Successful Classroom Teachers”
Note to the Reader: Readers of the oral history memoir should bear in mind that this is a transcript of the spoken word, and that the interviewer, interviewee and editor sought to preserve the informal, conversational style that is inherent in such historical sources. The Abraham Lincoln Presidential Library is not responsible for the factual accuracy of the memoir, nor for the views expressed therein. We leave these for the reader to judge.
COPYRIGHT
The following material can be used for educational and other non-commercial purposes without the written permission of the Abraham Lincoln Presidential Library. “Fair use” criteria of Section 107 of the Copyright Act of 1976 must be followed. These materials are not to be deposited in other repositories, nor used for resale or commercial purposes without the authorization from the Audio-Visual Curator at the Abraham Lincoln Presidential Library, 112 N. 6th Street, Springfield, Illinois 62701. Telephone (217) 785-7955