About Us
Our Mission
CLaRI, the Center for Literacy and Reading Instruction, was established in 1963. Our goal is to bring success to children who are struggling to read or write. Through evaluation, instruction, and planning for reading and writing success, we support children, their parents, and their teachers in traditional literacies and in digital literacies. We are committed to education for all children, regardless of socioeconomic, linguistic, cultural, religious, racial or ethnic background.
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Assessment and Instruction in reading and writing for children
Parent Resources
Education for preservice and inservice teachers
CLaRI Research
Our Focus for Research, Teaching, and Service
The Center’s research, teaching, and service efforts focus on three areas:
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Literacy and Diversity: Social Justice. We are passionately committed to education for all children from diverse socioeconomic, linguistic, sociocultural, religious, racial, and ethnic backgrounds. In particular, we are interested in exploring ways that children who at risk of being marginalized or disregarded by schools can become successful academic learners while maintaining their core identities.
Literacy and Multimodality: New Literacies for New Times. The availability of new technologies has precipitated new interest in multiliteracies and alternatives to print-based forms that have dominated schools. Progress in digital technology affords opportunity for learners to draw together multiple modes (sound, image, movement, color, etc.). We investigate the ways these changes influence the socio-cultural and cognitive worlds of children, youth, and teachers.
Teacher Education and Professional Development: A Mandate for Higher Education. While the charge for research universities such as UB is, primarily, to generate high quality scholarship, we are keenly aware that even research serves the higher goal of improving the lives of children and teachers. Ultimately, we seek to provide superior training for all teachers and literacy teachers in particular.