ABSTRACT
The present is a time of unprecedented public and governmental interest in reading instruction, "more interest ... than at any time in the last 20 years" (Hart, 1996, p. 600). Not only are policyrnakers and researchers at a critical point in time, but Hart insisted, "a golden opportunity is presenting itself for all of us-researchers and policyrnakers alike-to join forces and influence one of the most important educational policy debates to present itself in quite some time" (p. 601). For better or for worse, federal and state policyrnakers are scrutinizing reading education as rarely before. Further, such policy is intruding on the "core technology" of teaching and learning (Cohen & Ball, 1997; Elmore, 1996). In this chapter, I describe the recent policy history of reading education, its place on the public policy agenda, and, relatedly, the research that relates reading policy to reading instruction. Although time periods and themes may overlap, the chapter is organized along a loose chronology of reading policy with an emphasis on contemporary issues.
