Designed to identify and develop reading skills, stimulate the desire to read, promote an appreciation of literature, and encourage reading as a lifelong habit, the Department of Defense Dependents Schools Comprehensive Reading Program presented in this pamphlet outlines the major functions of the reading improvement specialist (RIS). These functions, as described in the pamphlet, include the following: (1) promoting the reading program by helping to implement and monitor it, (2) providing assessment services for staff, (4) offering instruction to supplement regular classroom instruction, (5) working with other specialists to develop programs for individual students or classes, and (6) participating in professional growth and development activities. An appendix describes the reading specialist's role in carrying out Public Law 94-142, which addresses the educational needs of handicapped students. (MM)