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Read Naturally, Inc. Marks 25 Years of Helping Students Learn to Read

September 28, 2016

SAINT PAUL, MN—Read Naturally, Inc. celebrates 25 years of providing effective, research-based solutions for developing and struggling readers. Read Naturally, Inc. began as a small, family-run business and is now an industry leader in training teachers and creating materials to boost reading achievement for students of all ages.

In 1989, as part of her Master’s program in Special Education, Candyce Ihnot of Mendota Heights, MN developed a strategy to help struggling readers become fluent. The unique strategy combined the research-proven methods of teacher modeling, repeated reading, and progress monitoring. Due to the overwhelming success of the strategy with her students, Candyce and her husband, Tom, began developing materials at their kitchen table so that other teachers could implement the strategy. In 1991, the husband-and-wife team founded Read Naturally, Inc., and the company made its first sale to the Minneapolis Public Schools.

Read Naturally, Inc., now based in Eagan, MN, offers a variety of research-based programs for building phonemic awareness, phonics, fluency, vocabulary, comprehension, and spelling skills. Read Naturally also provides trainings and coaching services to help teachers support the literacy development of their students.

Over the past 25 years, Read Naturally, Inc. has helped millions of students across the nation and abroad become more skillful readers. Candyce Ihnot has been nationally recognized for her work, and Read Naturally products have won several prestigious awards in education. What began at a small kitchen table in Mendota Heights is now a household name in thousands of elementary schools.

In 2011, Read Naturally, Inc. launched its most successful product to date, Read Live. Read Live is a web-based reading intervention that combines the Read Naturally Strategy with the latest technology. Students can access Read Live on Chromebooks, iPads, or desktop computers. To date, the program has over 250,000 student accounts and is steadily growing.

“Reading is an essential skill that enriches life in so many ways,” said President Marc Matsoff. “We’re honored that so many students have benefitted from our programs, and we look forward to giving those students the best reading tools around for many more years.”

For More Information
 The history of Read Naturally

About Read Naturally, Inc.
Read Naturally's research-based programs provide interventions and differentiated instruction for developing and struggling readers of all ages. Since its founding in 1991, Read Naturally has established itself as a pioneer in the industry and has developed a variety of products targeting key aspects of reading instruction.