Digital technologies have created new forms of reading and writing and have altered our conceptions of literacy. However, digital technologies also offer new ways of assisting readers who have various difficulties reading and comprehending conventional texts. Use of the capabilities of digital technologies specifically to broaden access to textual…

In 2002, National Center for Education Research (NCER) began with three research grant competitions--one focused on reading instruction, one on preschool curricula, and one on student learning from a cognitive science perspective. These competitions resulted in a total of 24 research grants. Since that auspicious beginning, the grant competitions…