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Albany, NY – READING FIRST: AN INVESTIGATION INTO PROGRAM RESULTS AND WHY FUNDING WAS SHARPLY REDUCED -
Five weeks ago, we broadcast a story about the proposed education
budget for fiscal year 2009. As part of that report, the section on Reading
First was so immense and so important, we said we'd cover it in a future
program. As listeners should recall, the Reading First budget was slashed
by 60% this year. The 1-billion dollars Reading First received last year, was
cut to just 393-million dollars this year. Congress made those cuts after an investigation suggested that conflicts of interest occurred among officials
and contractors who helped implement Reading First. The review implied
some had ties to commercial reading programs used in participating schools. Since our previous story, several state Reading First administrators have met
with Washington officials to voice concern about those budget cuts. State directors told officials that Reading First may not survive, if the massive
funding cuts are not restored. They maintain reading coaches, professional development for teachers, core reading programs and interventions, and accountability measures all need to be sustained in order to retain
improvements achieved thus far. TBOOK discusses the many facets of
the controversy with Dr. Richard Allington, Professor of Education at the University of Tennessee. He's also the former President of the International Reading Association. Also, Dr. Evan Lesky, Executive Director of Just Read Florida. And Denise Sontag, Director of the New York Reading First program.
Jim Horne reports. (10:22)
READING FIRST:
SECRETARY OF EDUCATION REACTS
TO THE POLITICS FIRST APPROACH -
In the midst of this presidential election year, Congress looks poised
to reject any further education funding until a new president takes office
next year. That means the fate of this year's fiscal 2009 education
budget, including possibly restoring the massive Reading First cuts,
could hinge on the November showdown for the White House. To hear
the present administration's viewpoint on the Reading First controversy,
TBOOK gets these reactions from the Secretary of Education.
Glenn Busby reports. (6:16)
EDUCATION HEADLINES AND UPDATES -
By now, everyone's aware of the slow down in the economy, and the
stock market's roller coaster ride. This has caused some concerns
about a potential impact on student loans. Around 1,200 colleges
participate in direct lending, while nearly 6,000 institutions take part in
the guaranteed-loan program. Senator Ted Kennedy has urged the
Secretary of Education to make sure the programs that exist to protect
students from market disruptions are ready incase they need to take up
the slack. Meanwhile, Secretary Spellings testified before the House of Representatives Education Committee, saying her department is
monitoring lender departures from the student-loan program, and working
with colleges and lenders to assess the impact on students. She assured Congress her department is prepared for an influx of colleges and ready to
put in place lender of last report provisions. As of our show production deadlines, both Congress and the Department of Education reportedly
agree that a federal-loan crisis is unlikely, given the large number of
lenders who participate in the program.
Dr. Karen Hitchcock reports. (1:25)