Across a carefully detailed argument, the shortcomings, inconsistencies and contradictions of the government's recent "Reading Framework" are made clear in the light of a substantial body of academic research on the nature of reading and the development of literacy. The dogmatic approach taken towards these issues by government and by…

Since 2018, the United States Agency for International Development (USAID) has worked in more than 80 countries to ensure that children and youth have access to the education and skills they need to be productive members of society. The launch of USAID's Education Policy in 2018 encouraged USAID Missions to be as adaptive, flexible, and responsive…

The United States Agency for International Development (USAID) works in more than 50 countries to ensure that children and youth have access to the education and skills they need to be productive members of society. The launch of USAID's Education Strategy in 2011 set forth a clear, measurable agenda. At its core, the Strategy equipped USAID…

"Reading First is the most effective federal program in history." So reads the opening line of a report that Alabama superintendent of education Joseph Morton sent to his congressional delegation last June, in which he recounts how the program has raised reading achievement for poor students in his charge. Morton's view is shared by…

This publication highlights the Reading First program as the academic cornerstone of the No Child Left Behind Act, and cites state achievement data indicating that Reading First students from nearly every grade and subgroup have made gains in reading proficiency. Restoration of full funding for the program has been requested for Fiscal Year 2009.

Reading First, the largest and most ambitious beginning reading initiative funded by the United States Department of Education, is entering its sixth and final year in Georgia. The author currently serves as a coordinator for the project as well as serve as a Regional Consultant to six schools near my home in South Georgia. She is one of fourteen…

The Bureau of Indian Education (BIE) funds schools located on 63 reservations in 23 states across the nation. Of the 183 schools, 59 are Bureau operated and 124 are tribally controlled. One-hundred and sixteen schools provide instructional programs, 55 provide instructional as well as boarding services and 12 peripheral dormitories provide only…

This article reports on findings from a national study of Reading First's effect on student reading achievement released last week by the Institute of Education Sciences. The major federal report finds that the $1 billion-a-year Reading First program has had no measurable effect on students' reading comprehension, on average, although…

Democrats in Congress say they are prepared to resist President Bush's level-funding budget proposal for education until the next president--who they hope will be more inclined to raise spending--takes office. That means the outcome of this year's budget showdown could hinge on the November election, not on a compromise between the White House and…

Reading Recovery, a popular one-to-one tutoring program that Bush administration officials sought to shut out of a high-profile federal reading program, has gotten a rare thumbs-up from the federal What Works Clearinghouse. The positive rating comes after prominent researchers and federal reading officials tried to dissuade states and districts…

Reading First's $1 billion-a-year investment in improving reading instruction seemed to be the kind of incentive that would push publishers to develop a new generation of products and approaches to match the research base the No Child Left Behind Act requires. But the money for instructional materials has not spread much beyond the handful of big…

A description and evaluation of Elementary and Secondary Education Title I- funded projects for the state of Kentucky are reviewed in this report. It describes parental involvement, staffing, and project participants. Project components include the following: reading, kindergarten, general education, special education, and mathematics. A needs…

This article reports how two prominent Democrats are demanding to know more about the problems identified in the implementation of the federal Reading First program, including whether criminal violations may have occurred and what Secretary of Education Margaret Spellings may have known about the problems while she was a White House aide. In the…

A description and evaluation of Elementary and Secondary Education Act Title I- funded projects in Vermont are contained in this report. Information is provided for the following areas: participation of public and private school children in each program component and for each grade level (preschool-grade 12); per pupil costs; full and part-time…

A description and evaluation of the Elementary and Secondary Education Act Title I-funded programs for the state of Maryland are presented in this report. Programs concentrated on instruction in language arts (reading) for students with special educational needs in the first, second, and the third grades. Developmental reading readiness for…