Five hundred and fifty teachers and administrators gave up a gorgeous Sunday to come to the Reading Reform Foundation 23rd Annual Conference at the New York Hilton.  As always, the staff and many volunteers provided the warm welcome and friendly help that typifies Reading Reform events.  The attendees arrived at 8:00 a.m. to look at exhibits and have coffee before hearing a dynamic speech titled, "Content Matters,"  by Dr. Diane Ravitch, author and Research Professor at New York University.  We are grateful for Dr. Ravitch's unstinting praise for the 23 years of work by Reading Reform Foundation serving public school teachers.  Dr. Ravitch's analysis of the downward trend of reading scores in the New York City schools since the new administration took over follows in an article that appeared in the Daily News.  Attendees were most attentive in the twenty-four workshops that followed the opening session, and many even stayed for the "Ask Questions!" event at the end of a long day.  The theme of the day, "Content Matters," was taken up in a special Administrators' Roundtable and in workshops given by the Metropolitan Museum of Art, the American Museum of Natural History and Lincoln Center Institute.  Everyone went home with new ideas on teaching reading, writing and spelling and attendees were stimulated by new areas of exploration in subject areas. Please click here for a detailed report of the 23rd Annual Conference.