U.S. Secretary of Education Rod Paige today announced that the state of Georgia will receive $51 million in federal reading grant funds to improve reading achievement using scientifically proven instruction methods. In total, over six years, Georgia is set to receive $180 million in Reading First funds, subject to the state's successful implementation and congressional appropriations.

On behalf of Secretary Paige, Acting Deputy Secretary of Education Gene Hickok joined Georgia Gov. Sonny Perdue, Georgia First Lady Mary Perdue, Georgia State School Superintendent Cathy Cox and Atlanta Public Schools Superintendent Beverly Hall for a during a school visit to the Carter G. Woodsen Elementary School in Atlanta. Hickok also honored students and sponsors who participated in the No Child Left Behind Summer Reading Achievers program.

The Reading First program is the centerpiece of President Bush's sweeping education reform law, No Child Left Behind. Studies show that when children fail to learn how to read during their early school years, every aspect of school success is affected. Academic achievement can be enhanced through early diagnosis.

"Too many of our children are being left behind because of poor reading skills," Secretary Paige said. "The results of the most recent national test show that just one-third of children in fourth, eighth and twelfth grades are proficient readers. This is unacceptable to anyone concerned about the future of our nation.

"President Bush believes that every child can learn. He believes that we can give every child the reading skills they need. That's why his No Child Left Behind Act makes our nation's greatest ever commitment to reading instruction.

"Georgia has strong plans for improving reading instruction, and I'm pleased to announce this Reading First grant to Gov. Perdue to help Georgia's schools give every child the opportunity to succeed."

Georgia's Reading First grant of $51 million includes all of the state's FY 2002 award and 80 percent of the state's FY 2003 award.

Georgia's application passed a rigorous review panel that judged the state's plan against 25 review criteria. The grant will support key improvements in classroom reading instruction, including teaching based on research that shows what works, early identification and help for reading difficulties, monitoring student progress and continuous, high-quality professional development for teachers.

Georgia will use about $40.8 million of the grant to make subgrant awards to approximately 120 schools in eligible districts. The subgrants will allow schools to implement research-based reading programs for students in kindergarten through third grade and to provide professional development to ensure that all teachers have the skills they need to teach these programs effectively. Additionally, the programs will support the use of instructional assessments so that teachers can effectively screen and identify the reading barriers facing their students, as well as monitor their progress.

The Georgia Department of Education will integrate Reading First with its statewide infrastructure to improve early literacy. The governor, in consultation with the state superintendent of schools, has convened a Reading Leadership Team to ensure a seamless, complementary approach to reading achievement throughout the state.

The president designed Reading First around an extensive knowledge base of the essential skills children must have to learn to read. The program reflects the findings of a congressionally mandated extensive review of scientifically based research on how students learn to read, completed by the National Reading Panel in 2000.

Reading First was passed into law by a bipartisan majority of Congress under the No Child Left Behind Act of 2001 and centers on the following priorities:

• raising the caliber and quality of classroom instruction;
• basing instruction on scientifically proven methods;
• providing professional training for educators in reading instruction; and
• supplying substantial resources to support the unprecedented initiative.

State applications undergo a rigorous review by a panel of reading experts, selected by the U.S. Secretary of Education, the National Institute for Literacy, the National Research Council and the National Institute of Child Health and Human Development. Successful states will receive funds under a formula.

Paige has announced awards to Alabama, Alaska, American Samoa, Arizona, Arkansas, California, Colorado, Connecticut, Delaware, Florida, Hawaii, Idaho, Illinois, Indiana, Iowa, Kansas, Kentucky, Louisiana, Maine, Maryland, Massachusetts, Michigan, Mississippi, Montana, Nevada, New Hampshire, New Jersey, New Mexico, North Carolina, North Dakota, Ohio, Oklahoma, Oregon, Pennsylvania, South Carolina, Texas, Utah, Vermont, Virginia, Washington, West Virginia, Wisconsin and Wyoming.

A list of estimated state grants for FY 2002, FY 2003 and under President Bush's budget request for FY2004 is available at: http://www.ed.gov/about/overview/budget/statetables/index.html.

On behalf of Secretary Paige, Hickok also presented awards to students who completed the No Child Left Behind Summer Reading Achievers pilot program. The pilot encouraged school children in grades K-8 to read actively during the summer months and avoid the loss of reading skills that often occurs during summer vacation. Atlanta was chosen for the program because of the district's strong school leaders and gains in student achievement posted over the past several years. Participating students were expected to read 10 age-appropriate books during the summer months and describe briefly the books they read by completing a simple form.

"The early results are encouraging," Secretary Paige said. "Nearly every school in Atlanta participated. More than 18,000 students took part in the program, and nearly 11,000 reached the goal of reading at least 10 books.

"All of this good news wouldn't have happened without Atlanta Public Schools Superintendent Beverly Hall. When I called her on the telephone back in March and asked her to help, she didn't hesitate. She believes in the importance of reading, and she believes in her students. She's a big part of the success we are celebrating, and I congratulate Dr. Hall and the Atlanta Public Schools for being Summer Reading Achievers."

Paige also thanked the national and local contributing organizations for their tremendous outpouring of support. Among the donations were: nearly 60,000 new books from First Book Foundation; 30,000 new books from Scholastic, Inc.; 10 bicycles from Coca-Cola; nine computers from the Atlanta-Fulton County Library; and food and entertainment coupons, school supplies, and sports apparel, among other prizes. Community organizations such as the Boys and Girls Clubs, Atlanta-Fulton County Library, Atlanta Parks and Recreation Department and Communities in Schools also volunteered hundreds of hours to help students improve their reading skills.

Contributing corporate and nonprofit partners included: Barnes & Noble; BellSouth Telecom Pioneers; Boy Scouts of America; Chick-fil-A; First Book; MeadWestvaco; Scholastic, Inc.; Six Flags, Inc.; Target stores; Walt Disney Company; Atlanta-Fulton County Library System; Atlanta Coca-Cola Bottling Company; Communities in Schools of Atlanta; City of Atlanta Bureau of Parks and Recreation; Boys and Girls Clubs of Metro Atlanta; Atlanta Metro Chamber of Commerce; Atlanta Partners for Education; Atlanta Council of PTAs and Parenting Coalition International.

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