Mark W. Conley is assistant professor of teacher education at Michigan State University. He was an English and reading teacher at the middle-school and high school levels prior to earning a Ph.D. in secondary reading from Syracuse University. Dr. Conley taught courses in content area reading and secondary reading at the University of Alaska-Anchorage and Eastern Michigan University before going to Michigan State, where he teaches courses in content area reading to beginning and practicing teachers. He also teaches English to middle-school students in an urban professional development school. Dr. Conley is the author of many journals, articles, and book chapters. He coedited and wrote Research Within Reach Secondary School Reading published by the International Reading Association. He was named Researcher of the Year in 1990 by the Michigan Reading Association, and, in 1991, he received the Elva Knight research award from the International Reading Association.