Reading First, which has already handed out nearly $5 billion in grants to some 1,700 districts and 5,600 schools, is designed to improve reading instruction in the nation's most disadvantaged schools through the use of research-based methods. However, a report conducted by the investigators for Inspector General John P. Higgins to evaluate Reading First has caused continued debates in the Congress, on the Internet, and among professionals in the field. This article presents the findings of the inspector general's investigations concerning Reading First and the varied opinions of the program's critics and supporters.