Going against the Grain

Abstract

is to demand that our research expand conversations and not restrict them. We must resist the political pressure to pursue lines of research that provide definite answers and simple solutions to the complexities of teaching reading. We must, at the same time, continue to resist the pressure to use J L R our research tools to reinforce our biases. A strong critic of research in the Presidential social sciences once commented that social scientists use data like prostiRetrospectives tutes use lampposts to light up themselves, not the darkness. Too much of our research today is self-serving and illustrative of our a priori positions. We must resist the temptation to talk only within our own small circle of friends, and work to communicate more effectively within the broader reading research community. This past year NRC returned to Austin for the third time. Serving as president was Marty Rapp Ruddell. Marty and I were graduate students together. We experienced the same snowbound first NRC meeting in Kansas City. These kinds of personal connections, that most of us who have been part of NRC can point out, give me confidence that our future is in good hands and that the prospects for continued growth are bright. It's not the same organization, but it will always be home.