Yale, UConn researchers outline brain-based REPEAT study with Waterbury students; board presses on safety, inclusion

Representatives from Yale University's Haskins Global Literacy Hub and UConn Waterbury presented the REPEAT (Reading Patterns Exploit Across Tasks) study to the Waterbury Board of Education on Nov. 6, describing a multi-site, NIH-funded research effort that combines cognitive testing with noninvasive brain measures to study how children learn to read.

"What we address are 3 broad questions in this program Waterbury: 1, how does how do children acquire reading? 2, why do some children struggle? and 3, the $64,000 question, how can we use science to improve treatment?" said Dr. Kenneth Pugh of Haskins, summarizing the project's aims and emphasizing the group's focus on early identification and intervention.

Project coordinator Shamar Barton said the study will recruit school-age children mainly between about 8 and 13 years (the team has approval to recruit ages 7 to 15) for three to four one-hour assessment sessions, typically scheduled around families' availability. "This cap is a light cap pretty much. So it shines a little flashlight onto the scalp of the child. It doesn't hurt," Barton said, describing the fNIRS/EEG equipment used in the field portion of the research. He said an optional fMRI portion would be voluntary and include a mock scanner to prepare young participants.

The presenters said the research is funded by the National Institutes of Health and that Yale's Institutional Review Board has approved human-subject protections. Pugh told the board the research team codes and secures all data, requires background checks for staff working with children, and treats the fMRI as optional. "We are IRB approved," he said when commissioners asked about safety and oversight.

Board members pressed for specifics. Secretary Serrano Adorno asked whether bilingual students, English-language learners and special-education students would be included; Pugh replied the current study cohort does not begin with a special, large ELL sample but the lab is developing measures to extend work to English learners and is focused on neurodiverse children. Commissioner Vanstone and others asked how many Waterbury children would be recruited; presenters said the multi-site project is targeting roughly 250 participants across sites over three years and "somewhere around 50 kids a year" could come from Waterbury depending on recruitment.

Presenters described compensation for participating families: roughly $25 per hour for assessments and fNIRS sessions, and about $50 for fMRI scans when families opt in. They told the board the REPEAT team has experience partnering with schools and running similar studies and that they plan outreach and demonstrations in the district to build trust and explain procedures.

No vote or formal action on the research partnership was recorded during the presentation. The board's discussion focused on inclusion, recruitment targets, IRB protections and practical concerns about child comfort and consent. Presenters agreed to continue answering questions and working with district staff to refine outreach and protections.

The district will receive follow-up information on recruitment plans, consent forms and planned community outreach before any student-level recruitment begins.