Beginning in 2003 State Director of Adult Basic Education Barry Shaffer allocated funds to support evidence-based education in Adult Basic Education.  A major thrust in this research to practice endeavor is the Reading Research Project, an action research project where Minnesota teachers carry out practitioner research in reading. Practitioner research is an approach to professional development in which the teacher looks systematically at his/her own practice and learns from this research.

Practitioners across the state have carried out research in reading instruction over a period of three to four months.  They participated in three training sessions learning about the latest reading research and practitioner research design.  They implemented a new approach to reading with their students.  They collected and analyzed data in order to examine how the new approach worked with their students.  They wrote a report on their experiences and results to share their knowledge with others in the field.

Practitioner Research Reports