Wendy A Paterson, Ph.D., associate professor and chair of the Elementary Education and Reading Department at Buffalo State College, is the lead author of an article that received the 2004 Albert J. Harris Award from the International Reading Association. Article co-authors are Karen O'Quin, Associate Dean of Natural and Social Sciences and Maria A. Ceprano, professor of Elementary Education and Reading, both of Buffalo State; and Julie Henry and Elfreda Blue, both of Buffalo State at the time of the research.

The Albert J. Harris Award is a prestigious and competitive award that recognizes outstanding published works about reading disabilities and reading instruction. To be considered, publications must meet rigorous academic criteria, including publication in a peer-reviewed journal. (Publication in a peer-reviewed journal is the academic equivalent of being selected to take part in an all-star game.) The award includes $1,000 and recognition of the authors at the International Reading Association’s annual convention, which will be held in Reno, Nevada in May this year.

The article described the authors’ study of the effectiveness of a computer-based literacy program on kindergarten and first-grade pupils who were learning basic reading skills. Their study demonstrated that such a program is no substitute for interactions between adults and children. That interaction is essential if children are to develop language and reading skills. In a classroom situation, skillful and knowledgeable teachers make the greatest difference in supporting successful language development in young children.

The study, “Investigating The Effectiveness of an Integrated Learning System on Early Emergent Readers,” appeared in the April/May/June 2003 issue of Reading Research Quarterly.