Although reading is often viewed as a mysterious process, sufficient evidence is available to identify certain areas as promising for further research and others as unpromising. In applied research, the study of how reading programs are implemented in schools, including an examination of leadership roles, teacher attitudes, teacher training, and diagnosis, may yield crucial information on why certain schools succeed in teaching reading and others do not. In theory-based research, the study of visual word recognition, especially of the role of orthographic structure in this process, has already yielded interesting results. A fundamental understanding of word recognition is required, not only for its relation to early reading instruction, but also for its relation to comprehension. Since almost all approaches to reading instruction employ overt teaching of letter/sound correspondences, a thorough understanding of their acquisition and utilization merits a high priority in developmental research. Among the areas in which further research is not needed are instructional metholdologies, modified alphabets, and eye movements. (Author/GW)