This article is based on the presidential address I delivered at the 12th annual meeting of the Society for the Scientific Study of Reading, held in June 2005 in Toronto. I trace the development of my interest in instructional research in, first, beginning reading and, more recently, in comprehension, and I describe studies designed to improve the reading of children with learning disabilities and others at risk for academic failure. I conclude with reflections about what our field has accomplished over the last few decades and with suggestions about what might profitably be given further attention at the present time.