[NLA] ESEA Conference Committee Agrees on Reading First

[Gullion, Christy]

Yesterday, the Conference Committee working to reauthorize the Elementary
and Secondary Education Act (ESEA) ratified certain portions of the bill,
including the Reading First Initiative.  The Reading First Initiative, which
will replace the Reading Excellence Act of 1998, aims to ensure that all
children can read at grade level by the end of third grade.  While the 
Conference Committee is making progress toward final approval of the ESEA
bill, they still need to work out many details in other sections before
Congress can vote on the bill and before the President can sign it into law.


There are some encouraging references to adult and family literacy in the
Reading First portion of the ESEA bill that are worth noting.
 
The purpose statement for the bill includes reference to family literacy
services, specifically to "strengthen coordination among schools, early
literacy programs, and family literacy programs in order to improve reading
achievement for all children."  

State Education Agencies will be eligible to apply for grant funding to
implement and administer the Reading First program in their states.  Among
other things, the state application must include information on how the SEA
"will build on, and promote coordination among literacy programs in the
state (including federally-funded programs such as the Adult Education and
Family Literacy Act and the Individuals with Disabilities Act), in order to
increase the effectiveness of the programs in improving reading for adults
and children and to avoid duplication of the efforts of the program."

The Conference Committee agreement also authorizes the National Institute
for Literacy to "disseminate information on scientifically based reading
research pertaining to children, youth, and adults."  NIFL currently
disseminates this information through the Reading Excellence Act of 1998,
which will be replaced by the Reading First Initiative.

Unfortunately, the Conference Committee did not view family literacy as
favorably as some would have liked.  The Reading Excellence Act of 1998
established family literacy as a REQUIRED service in the effort to improve
reading.  The Reading First Initiative, on the other hand, makes family
literacy an optional service.  While the hope is that many states will see
the value in including family literacy services in their efforts to
implement and administer Reading First, many feel that this is a step back
for family literacy policy.

More information on Reading First and other ESEA provisions related to adult
and family literacy will likely emerge in the next few weeks as Congress
works toward final approval.

Christy Gullion
Associate Director for Federal Policy
National Institute for Literacy
1775 I Street, NW, Suite 730
Washington, DC  20006
ph. 202-233-2033
fax 202-233-2050

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