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UPDATE AND INFORMATION NEWSLETTER

A MESSAGE FROM DIRECTOR CAROL H. RASCO

The Back to School season is in full swing, and I know from my travels that people all across the country are working hard to ensure that children can read well and independently by the end of third grade. The America Reads Challenge staff has been busy as well. In this issue you will find information on new materials to support your efforts, information on the September national Reading Summit, how to register for the Improving America's Schools conferences and much more.

I would like to take this opportunity to thank the International Reading Association (IRA) for an excellent feature on America Reads which appeared in the August/September 1998 edition of their publication Reading Today. In addition to giving a thorough and informative overview of the America Reads Challenge, the piece lists a number of resources such as tutoring manuals and videos for use by America Reads programs. For more information please call the IRA at (302) 731-1600, or visit their website at http://www.reading.org.

I hope you find this UPDATE helpful and that you will let us know what we can do to support your efforts to help all children learn to read well.

On September 18-19, more than 550 education leaders from across the nation gathered for the first national Reading Summit to redouble efforts to help every child develop strong literacy skills by the end of third grade. Noting that 44% of American fourth graders failed to read at grade level in a 1994 national assessment, Secretary Riley urged Congress to pass a strong child literacy bill before adjourning for this year. Secretary Riley also called for:

• more parents to read daily to children from infancy
• an end to the "reading wars" about various teaching methods
• pre-kindergarten caregivers working together to develop pre-literacy skills
• special help for children with disabilities and those with limited English
• higher standards and more ongoing professional development opportunities for teachers.

The conference was based on the 1998 landmark report of the National Research Council (NRC), Preventing Reading Difficulties in Young Children. The full text of the NRC Report, the Secretary's speech and an outline of Catherine Snow's presentation at the Summit are now available online through the Reading Summit homepage at http://www.ed.gov/inits/readingsummit/. Information on state teams that participated in the Summit and summaries of Summit workshops will be posted soon.

IMPROVING AMERICA'S SCHOOLS CONFERENCES

The U.S. Department of Education is pleased to announce the 1998 Regional Conferences on Improving America's Schools, scheduled in three locations this fall. The locations and dates of the conferences are:

October 19-21 Portland, Oregon

November 18-20 Denver, Colorado

December 15-17 Nashville, Tennessee

There will be a breakout session on America Reads on the first day of each conference. This session will feature local practitioners who will talk about strategies they have used to improve reading achievement in their schools and communities.

On the second day of each conference, four sessions will focus on reading. One will provide a comprehensive overview of the National Research Council's report Preventing Reading Difficulties in Young Children and will give audience members the opportunity to interact with a researcher from the study's panel. The other sessions will focus on early childhood development, efforts to ensure that ALL children learn to read, and school organization strategies to support children's learning.

Space is still available at each of these conferences, but filling quickly! For more information and to register, visit the conference website at http://www.ncela.gwu.edu/iasconferences/, or call 1-800-203-5494.

Be a Classic Hero -- Lead a Child to Read!

Over the past year, America Reads has heard many requests from our community and university partners for promotional materials. Thanks to the generous support of Lyrick Studios (creators of Wishbone) and the Southland Corporation (7-Eleven), we are pleased to offer the following materials to help raise awareness of America Reads programs.

• POSTER: 17x22" full color poster featuring Wishbone, the talking dog who encourages children to read through his PBS television show. Space in bottom left corner can be used to publicize local program information.
• FLYER: 8 ' x 11" slick in black and white, similar to poster, can be copied and used in smaller spaces to promote local efforts. This also includes space for local contact information.
• ADVERTISEMENT: A black and white slick with graphics and text that can be customized for an ad in a local or community newspaper. Local contact information for reading partner or tutoring programs can be added.

These materials can be ordered by calling 1-800-USA-LEARN.

Videos for Meetings or Presentations

America Reads is also pleased to provide you with two videos that can be used in recruiting and training volunteers or new community partners for your efforts. The video could be used as a conversation starter at a community meeting. Both programs are available on one tape and can be ordered by calling 1-800-USA-LEARN.

• "Breaking Through"
  This 11 minute video tells four stories of teachers, parents and children working together to help children learn to read. All four children profiled (Emma, Kyle, Amber and Austin) encountered some difficulties in learning to read. But, with the help of committed teachers, attentive parents and extra help, all children have broken through to become readers and writers. The video ends with children sharing their thoughts on what you can do "if you can read." "Breaking Through" was shown at the U.S. Department of Education's Reading Summit.

• "Reading Partners" Excerpts from the US Department of Education
  Satellite Town Meeting, May 19, 1998.
  This 15 minute program includes excerpts from the one-hour Satellite Town Meeting that aired in May, 1998. The program focuses on strategies for helping all children learn to read beginning from their earliest days. It highlights commendable programs from around the country and contains a practical segment for parents on how they can help their children read well. This video was shown at the 16 America Reads Regional Training Conferences this summer and fall in cities throughout the country.

America Reads Materials from the Corporation for National Service The Corporation for National Service has developed colorful posters, brochures and advertisements for use in recruiting volunteers for local America Reads programs. These materials are available for purchase through the Corporation's distibution center, Mississippi Industries for the Blind. For more information or to request an order form, please call (601) 984-3200.

The Arts Education Partnership and the U.S. Department of Education are hosting a national teleconference to be held on Monday, December 1, 1998, from 7:30pm - 8:30pm (EST). The teleconference will focus on the importance of arts literacy and the results from the 1997 NAEP Arts Assessment, and will provide an opportunity for Partnership organizations and their state and local representatives to hold meetings at downlink sites throughout the country before and/or after the teleconference. For more information, please call 1-800-USA-LEARN or visit http://aep-arts.org.

Here's your chance to join an exciting conversation with people who are doing what it takes to improve American education. On the third Tuesday of each month during the school year, U.S. Secretary of Education Richard Riley hosts the Satellite Town Meeting, a free, live, interactive teleconference about community efforts to improve teaching and learning. (Please make special note of the town meeting focused on reading on February 16, 1999.)

For information about establishing a downlink site, satellite coordinates, ideas on organizing your community, a registration form, or other information about the Satellite Town Meeting, call 1-800-USA-LEARN (1-800-872-5327.)

The Satellite Town Meeting is produced in partnership with the National Alliance of Business & the U.S. Chamber of Commerce. Broadcast and cable partners include Discovery Communications, the Public Broadcasting System, NASA, and Channel One. Use, duplication and distribution are free and unrestricted.

Random House Children's Publishing and First Book will honor the inspiring work of teachers, tutors, mentors, and volunteers throughout the nation through the "Reading Hero Awards". Unsung heroes who have displayed an extraordinary commitment to nurturing young readers will be identified and nationally recognized through the Awards. Beginning in September, a Reading Hero will be chosen every month and receive a $1,000 Random House gift certificate. For more information on the Reading Hero awards or to nominate an individual, please complete the online questionnaire on the First Book website at www.firstbook.org OR print and return the form by fax or mail to:

First Book
Attention: Reading Hero Awards
1319 F Street, N.W., Suite 500
Washington, DC 20004
Fax: (202) 628-1258

The National Jewish Coalition for Literacy -- the organized Jewish community's vehicle for participation in the America Reads Challenge -- is right on track with its organizing efforts. Earlier this summer NJCL's model program in Boston, Massachusetts completed its first full semester of operation with more than 200 volunteers in the public schools (and a couple of dozen more reading to kids at pediatric clinics in and around Boston). This Fall the program will expand to the nearby cities of Brockton and Framingham. In nearby Providence, Rhode Island, nearly 80 Jewish volunteers have signed on. And, in Louisville, Kentucky, 140 tutors have signed the rolls and are ready to go. Other cities with projects set to begin this Fall are Baltimore, Maryland; Boca Raton/S. Palm Beach County, Flordia; Hartford, Connecticut; Minneapolis/St. Paul, Minnesota; Portland, Oregon; San Antonio, Texas; Springfield, Massachusetts; and Seattle, Washington.

In 1999 NJCL is committed to creating an additional 25 local affiliates. To find out more about the NJCL, email them at njcl@jon.cjfny.org or call the director, Craig Sumberg, at 212/545-9215.

If you have items you would like us to share with other members of the Coalition, please send a paragraph describing how your organization is meeting the America Reads Challenge. Information should be sent to:

Ellen Frawley
Director, President's Coalition for the America Reads Challenge
600 Independence Avenue, SW, Room 6123
Washington, DC 20202
Phone: 202/401-8888
Fax: 202/401-0596
e-mail: ellen.frawley@ed.gov

FOR RELEASE: October 6, 1998

Contact: Pam Hughes (202) 401-3069

I am very pleased that the Senate today recognized the stake that all Americans hold in the success of our young readers by passing the Reading Excellence Act.

This legislation wisely recognizes the key roles played by teachers, parents and tutors in a child's reading success. The bill will improve teachers' skills and knowledge to teach reading effectively, by employing research-based methods in teacher training.

This is a solid bill that will help teachers, parents, tutors and most importantly, our children, who promise to give so much to our nation as fully literate citizens. I am optimistic that the House, whose members have also been instrumental in helping to craft this bill, will act quickly to pass this important piece of legislation. I will continue to work with Congress to ensure that it is fully funded in order to put these initiatives into practice as soon as possible.

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