6. In order to reduce and potentially eliminate illiteracy via automated means, it is necessary to understand what makes learning to read an easy and effective process. To date, experts believe that guided oral reading greatly enhances word identification and comprehension in context.

Ample evidence suggests that one of the major differences between good and poor readers is the amount of time they spend reading. Poor readers are unlikely to practice on their own. Students who need the most practice spend the least amount of time actually reading. Poor readers tend to reread the same easy stories over and over. Building on the foundational understanding of reading, researchers from Carnegie Mellon University are developing automated reading tutors using a combination of machine-learning techniques.