Two educational researchers at Johns Hopkins have been selected to help shape the future of education for children who go to school with limited English proficiency by serving on the newly formed National Literacy Panel. The announcement was made by Russ Whitehurst, U.S. assistant secretary for education research and improvement.

Robert Slavin, co-director of the university's Center for Research on the Education of Students Placed at Risk, and Margarita Calderon, a CRESPAR senior research scientist based in El Paso, Texas, will work with 11 other well-known scholars to review existing research on the literacy acquisition skills of English-language learners. A particular focus is on strategies to increase the ability of Spanish-speaking children to learn to read and write in English. Slavin and Calderon are the editors of the book Effective Programs for Latino Students (Lawrence Erlbaum Associates Inc., 2001).

The panel will produce a report evaluating the research while providing recommendations to guide educational practice and policy. The panel will seek input from researchers, policy-makers and teachers to ensure high standards for its review and recommendations.

"The president's No Child Left Behind Act of 2001 puts a strong emphasis on using education practices and programs based on sound, scientifically based research," Whitehurst says. "This panel will be taking a good, hard look at the existing research that could enhance the literacy achievement among our nation's youth."