A r c h i v e d  I n f o r m a t i o n

Reading Excellence Act State Competitive Grant Program: Non-Regulatory Guidance for State Applicants – March 9, 1999

America Reads Challenge

The Secretary of Education's
Special Initiative to Ensure that
Every Child Can Read

The America Reads Challenge is a grassroots call to action. In 1994, 40 percent of America's fourth graders failed to attain the basic level of reading on the National Assessment of Educational Progress. In response to these results, President Clinton announced the Administration's commitment to mobilizing public and private resources to help all children read well. This national campaign challenges every American to help all children learn to read, including those with disabilities and limited English proficiency. The Challenge touches citizens from all walks of life and sparks collaborations between educators, parents, librarians, business people, senior citizens, college students, and community and religious groups.

The strategies used to help meet the goals of the America Reads Challenge include:

• starting early by strengthening parent involvement and improving opportunities in childcare settings;

• bringing best practices into the school and classroom;

• creating extended learning time opportunities that are built on and connected to solid reading programs in our Nation's schools;

• promoting greater public awareness of reading and local partnership building; and

• supporting research and evaluation.

The Reading Excellence Act supports the goals of the America Reads Challenge.

[Purpose of these Guidelines]

[Introduction]