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UPDATE AND INFORMATION NEWSLETTER

A MESSAGE FROM DIRECTOR CAROL H. RASCO

Now that we have survived another Halloween, I hope this news from the America Reads Challenge finds you well and looking forward to the holiday season. We are pleased to report many exciting things happening in the world of reading:

• The Reading Excellence Act was passed and provides $260 million for child literacy efforts. You will find a detailed summary of the literacy legislation and funding for other education programs later in the update.

• The U.S. Department of Education's Regional Educational Laboratories have awarded more than $3 million to support local partnerships that are helping children learn to read. Find the complete list of subcontracts in this update.

• The first of the three Improving America's Schools (IAS) conferences gave us an opportunity to meet more people working to help children read well. One highlight of our time in Portland was Family Reading Night at Martin Luther King Elementary School. More details on the evening are included below.

• The National Children's Book and Literacy Alliance, CNN and Turner Learning Systems and Clarion University of Pennsylvania are among the Coalition members in the spotlight this month.

Last month's update included information on Random House Children's Publishing and First Book's "Reading Hero Awards." I want to be sure you are all aware of this opportunity to honor the inspiring work of teachers, tutors, mentors, and volunteers who are making a difference in your communities. 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.

We hope this update is helpful to you. Please let us know what we can do to support your efforts to help all children learn to read well. Best wishes for a wonderful Thanksgiving.

Congress passed the Reading Excellence Act as part of the 1999 Omnibus Appropriations bill on October 21, 1998. (A detailed summary of the legislation follows this update.) More than 500,000 pre-kindergarten through third-grade children will be served in the next year through the $260 million appropriated for fiscal year 1999. Funds will be available after July 1, 1999. Stay tuned to the America Reads website for more details at www.ed.gov/inits/americareads/.

Other items included in the 1999 budget are:

• Class Size Reduction. $1.2 billion has been allocated to provide funds to hire and train more than 30,000 additional qualified teachers for the 1999-2000 school year. This will allow schools to reduce class size and provide children with more individual attention making classrooms more orderly and helping children master reading and other basics.

• 21st Century Community Learning Centers. $200 million will provide funding for before and after-school programs in safe, drug-free environments for approximately 250,000 additional school-age children.

• Gear Up. $120 million will provide more than 500,000 at-risk, middle school students (more than five years) with critical academic and support services such as mentoring, tutoring and college visits needed to raise educational expectations, increase academic achievement, and eliminate the barriers these students face in preparing for and pursuing a college education.

• Federal Work-Study. $870 million (up from $830 million in Fiscal Year 1998) has been allocated to help approximately 38,000 additional students work and earn funds to help pay for college, and provide additional opportunities for students to work as reading tutors

These are just some of the education programs and initiatives which have been funded in the budget, for more comprehensive information please call 1-800-USA-LEARN, or visit www.ed.gov.

This past September, Secretary Riley announced the award of $6 million in grants for a national education and outreach effort to ensure that children with disabilities are receiving a quality education. Four grants are being awarded to three organizations, all of them leaders in the education and disability field. The grants are designed to provide information and training on the Individuals with Disabilities Education Act Amendments of 1997 (IDEA '97). These grantees will form partnerships with more than 30 other associations to help in the nationwide effort. They will develop educational materials and a communications network for sharing information and supporting technical assistance. Toll-free numbers, websites, public service announcements, and "best practices" reports are just a few of the ways information about IDEA'97 will be offered. For information about grantees and IDEA'97, please see: http://www.ed.gov/offices/OSERS/IDEA/train.html.

On September 15, 1998, the U.S. Department of Education's Regional Educational Laboratories awarded more than $3 million to sixty-one partnerships across the country to support efforts to help children learn to read. The $50,000 grants were awarded to partnerships that provide quality tutor training programs based on a school-community-university collaborative model. A complete list of the partnerships is included and is also posted at http://www.ed.gov/inits/americareads/training.html.

Family Reading Night at King Elementary School in Portland, Oregon, featured Miss Frizzle from The Magic Schoolbus' and Winnie the Pooh and local partners from Portland State University, the Oregon Children's Foundation S.M.A.R.T. Program, the Multnomah County Library, the Northwest Service Academy and local children's book author Rosalind Wang. Senior officials from the U.S. Department of Education in town for the Improving America's Schools conference joined with others in sharing their favorite books in this fun-filled evening to celebrate reading.

More than 30 families in the King Elementary School Neighborhood enjoyed great books and the special guests. And, new partnerships also formed as a result of the evening. King Elementary School Principal Joseph Malone would like to do more family reading nights in the future, and Portland State University and the Oregon Children's Foundation S.M.A.R.T. program may also be joining forces to support children's reading in Portland schools.

FYI -- Character costumes are available and rental is free for schools, bookstores, libraries and nonprofits through Costume Specialists at 1-800-596-9357 x303. Shipping can cost from $20 to $90. Available costumes include: Corduroy, Spot, Peter Rabbit, Max & Ruby, Madeline, Winnie the Pooh, Pippi Longstocking, Stinky Cheese Man, Curious George, Lyle Lyle Crocodile, Rotten Ralph, Wild Thing, Felix the Bunny, George & Martha, Stellaluna, Jesse Bear, Mudge (Henry & Mudge), Bunnicula & Maisy. Be sure to book ahead for best selection!

The National Children's Book and Literacy Alliance (NCBLA) was formally announced on October 9, 1998 at Children and Books At a Crossroads, A National Symposium on Young People and Reading. The symposium is a project of the Teresa and J. John Heinz III Foundation. The symposium brought together groups from within the children's publishing community -- published authors, illustrators, academics, editors, art directors, publishers, librarians, and reviewers -- to join with arts advocates, educators, government officials, members of the media, the medical community, the business world, and child and literacy advocates from all fields.

Through panel discussions, meetings, and presentations, symposium participants considered how to inform the public of the need and challenges involved in getting effective books into children's hands, and how to raise awareness that literacy and books need to be promoted equally to children and parents in order to get and keep children reading. Stay tuned to the NCBLA website at www.ncbla.org for more information about the Symposium and NCBLA's activities.

CNN and Turner Learning recently announced CNN Student Bureau or CNN SB, a new effort to support young journalists as part of the Department of Education's America Goes Back to School Initiative. High school and university students worldwide will have the opportunity to publish their written and video work internationally on CNN Newsroom, on the Turner Learning website (http://learning.turner.com), and elsewhere.

News reports submitted to CNN SB from students may be regional, national or global in scope. Students will receive assignments from a Turner Learning assignment editor through the website, and their stories will be reviewed by a Turner Learning producer who edits, fact checks, and works within the CNN system to determine a story's use and purpose. Selected website stories will be posted on the Turner Learning website for students' and educators' use. Selected video stories also will be pitched to CNN producers for their review and possible use. For more information or to enroll in the program, please call Turner Learning at 1-800-344-6219 or visit: http://learning.turner.com/SB. For more information on America Goes Back to School, please see: http://www.ed.gov/Family/agbts/.

Clarion University of Pennsylvania is in the process of conducting a survey to determine the impact of public libraries in the United States. Public libraries are a prominent part of most communities in the United States. Statistics exist showing their use by the public, but statistics do not reveal the facilities' importance to the community. Clarion University graduate students are conducting the telephone survey and have obtained a random list of 4,000 phone numbers for people in all geographical regions of the U.S. Survey results are expected in December.

The survey, funded by the H.W. Wilson Foundation, Bronx, N.Y., will examine: whether a person, 18 years of age or older, has used the services of a public library or bookmobile in the last six months; the distance to the respondent's closest public library; how they used the library or bookmobile in the last six months or in the past; if they used a computer and what they used it for; Internet use at the library; and their opinion of the public library and if the library has made their life better.

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 to:

Nearly two years ago, President Clinton issued a challenge to every American to help all children become good readers. All Americans should celebrate that Congress included the Reading Excellence Act (REA) in the Omnibus Consolidated and Emergency Supplemental Appropriations Act, 1999 signed by the President on October 21, 1998. More than 500,000 pre-kindergarten through third-grade children will be served in the next year through the $260 million appropriated for FY 1999. The Reading Excellence Act has been authorized for the next two years, allowing even more at-risk children to receive the support they need to improve their literacy skills.

Unfortunately, too many children fail to read at grade level. In 1994, according to the National Assessment of Educational Progress, 40 percent of our nation's fourth graders failed to read at the basic level. Sixty-nine percent of African American and 64 percent of Hispanic American fourth graders read below the basic level.

We know that to succeed in school, be prepared for more advanced courses and college, and participate in the high-skill workplace of the 21st century, all students need good reading skills. The Reading Excellence Act targets the children who are most in need of additional assistance at the most critical period, the primary grades. Research shows that students who are behind in reading can catch up to grade level with additional reading instruction.

Purpose: The Reading Excellence Act amends Title II of the Elementary and Secondary Education Act of 1965 by adding a reading component to:

• provide children with the readiness skills and support they need in early childhood to learn to read once they enter school;
• teach every child to read by the end of the third grade; and
• improve the instructional practices of teachers and other instructional staff in elementary schools.

This Act will support three key activities: (1) professional development; (2) out-of-school tutoring; and (3) family literacy.

How the Reading Excellence Act Works: Under the Act, the Secretary of Education is authorized to make competitive grants to State Educational Agencies (SEAs). All States are eligible to apply.

• A state that wishes to participate must establish a reading and literacy partnership with the Governor, chief state school officer, the chair and ranking minority member of committees in the state legislature responsible for education policy, and representatives of: local districts eligible to receive subgrants under this program, community-based organizations, state directors of federal programs supporting reading instruction, parents, teachers, and family literacy service providers, plus a variety of optional participants. Similar pre-existing partnerships may be substituted to meet this requirement if the state so chooses.

• SEAs that receive funding are required to make subgrants on a competitive basis to:
  • local school districts that have at least one school in Title I school improvement status;
  • districts with the highest or second highest percentages of poverty in the State; or
  • districts with the highest or second highest number of poor children in the State.

• SEAs must use at least 85% of their awards to make local reading improvement grants to school districts to:
  • provide professional development for teachers based on the best research and practice;
  • operate tutoring programs after school, before school, during non-instructional periods during the school day, on weekends, and during the summer; and
  • provide family literacy services by forming partnerships with community-based organizations, early childhood organizations, adult education programs, family literacy organizations, public libraries, colleges and universities, and other organizations to improve the teaching of reading and the reading achievement of children and their families.

• Grant periods to States are for three years. State grants to districts must be sufficient to support two-year projects. Grants will be awarded to States after July 1, 1999.

• Each State may use up to five percent of its funding for State-level administrative activities such as technical assistance to local partnerships, program evaluation (up to two percent), and coordination with other literacy-related activities.

Tutorial Assistance Grants: States must make at least one tutorial assistance grant to school districts most in need of help. (Local districts with one school in an empowerment zone or enterprise community, districts with at least one school in school improvement, districts with the highest or second highest percentages of child poverty in the State, and districts with the highest or second highest numbers of children in poverty in the State are eligible.) These grants will be awarded to school districts to allow them to provide a number of after-school tutoring options (both school-based and non-school-based) for children in need of additional reading assistance.

Evaluation: The Reading Excellence Act also provides for two levels of evaluation ' a national evaluation by the Secretary funded with 1.5 percent of the total dollars appropriated for the Act ($3.9 million for the current fiscal year), and a State-level evaluation for which each State may reserve up to 2 percent of the amount it receives under the Act (which is part of the five percent a State may reserve for administrative costs).

National Institute for Literacy and Even Start: The National Institute for Literacy will receive $5 million to distribute information on the best reading research and practices. And $10 million will go to the Even Start program for grants to States to implement Statewide family literacy initiatives.

For more information on the Reading Excellence Act, call 1-800-USA-LEARN.

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