Reading Improvement Bill=20

[murphy@naepdc.org]

     I prepared the following analysis for the State Directors of Adult
Education.  It is available on their web site, which is www.naepdc.org,=20
as of Monday morning.

To:=09  State Directors of Adult Education

From:=09  Garrett Murphy

Subject:  HR2614  Reading Improvement Bill  (Originally "America Reads"
          When Introduced By the Administration)

Although this bill is primarily designed to improve reading instruction to
elementary and secondary school students, there are definite implications
for adult educators, especially in the area of family literacy.  This bill
passed the House and was sent on to the Senate.  The Senate did not author
a companion bill; rather, it marked up the House bill with a series of  19
amendments.  This bill has a deadline; if it does not pass by 7/1/98, its
its appropriation of $210 million would be shifted into IDEA. The=20
effective date is not definite.  The House bill calls for the first year
of funding to be fiscal year 1999;  The Senate amendment calls for fiscal
year 1998 (=A72261).
=09The following is a brief overview of the bill, emphasizing implications
for adult education.  The bill amends title II of ESEA, inserting a new
Part B which provides for awards to SEAs using a funding formula (which the
Senate amendment would alter) based on population and need (=A72252). The
Senate bill also bases the State distribution formula on population and
need, but is more involved.  Within States, dollars are allocated to LEAs
also on the basis of population and need. Any LEA receiving an award of
less than $10,000 must enter into a consortium with another LEA, or LEAs.
A waiver from this restriction is possible under certain conditions (=A7225=
3
and =A72254)
=09States must apply.  The application must include a State plan which is
developed in conjunction with the Governor (unless the SEA chief is
appointed by the Governor), the State agency for higher education, CBOs and
other nonprofit agencies with expertise in reading readiness, or reading
instruction for adults and children, postsecondary schools of education,
State directors of federal programs with a strong literacy component, and
teachers of reading.  The plan must contain an assessment of the
professional development needs of K-12 and adult and family literacy
teachers.  Among a number of other requirements, the plan must describe
parent participation, the participation of tutors for children, and the
role of the SEA. The plan must also include how each grantee will carry out
family literacy programs, like Even Start (=A72255).
=09State level activities to be performed by the SEA include providing
technical assistance to schools and LEAs and to entities administering
adult and family literacy programs.  Grants to LEAs are for three (3) years
(=A72256).  Each LEA must submit a plan in which it must assess the needs o=
f
K-12 reading and the needs of adult and family literacy (=A72257).  Each LE=
A
must use its funds to support a partnership with one or more CBOs with
expertise in reading readiness and reading instruction for both adults and
children, with an early childhood agency (e.g. Head Start), adult education
programs, institutions of higher education and, where appropriate, public
libraries with demonstrated effectiveness in reading instruction for
children and adults.   LEA dollars are also to provide professional
development programs and strategies to effectively involve parents in
helping their children and to provide parents with literacy-related
activities that will enhance children's reading fluency.  LEAs can also use
funds to coordinate family literacy programs such as Even Start  to enable
parents to be their child's first and most important teacher and to make
payments for the receipt of technical assistance to such programs (=A72258)=
=2E
=09The National Institute for Literacy is charged with the dissemination of
information with respect to reading and literacy (=A72260).
Even Start Amendments:  The Secretary of Education may also use part of the
$210 million authorization to award grants on a competitive basis to States
to enable them to plan and implement statewide family literacy initiatives
and coordinate existing Federal, State and local literacy resources
consistent with the purposes of the Act.  To receive a grant, the State
must establish a consortium of State-level programs under this Act, the
Head Start Act, the Adult Education Act, and all other State-funded
pre-school programs, and programs providing literacy services to adults.
The resulting consortium must submit a plan in which it must dedicate a
portion of its funds to strengthen and expand family literacy services. The
consortium must also provide directly, or through a grant or contract,
technical assistance in the development and operation of family literacy
programs.  States must match the Federal funds on a dollar for dollar basis
[=A7201/ESEA =A71202(c)].
=09The Even Start amendments also contain indicators of program quality - a
separate list for adults and for children, respectively (=A7204/ESEA =A7121=
0).
=09Finally, there is a section allowing the use of Federal Work-Study funds
to tutor children and to work in family literacy programs. It allows the
Secretary to exceed the normal 75% Federal share for such activity.  The
Senate Amendments strike this section, not because they oppose it, but
because the same language appears in the reauthorization of the Higher
Education Act (=A7301).
=09We will keep you informed on the progress of this legislation.

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