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<TITLE>ESEA Conference Committee Agrees on Reading First</TITLE>
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<P><FONT SIZE=2 FACE="Arial">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 </FONT></P>
<P><FONT SIZE=2 FACE="Arial">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. </FONT></P>
<P><FONT SIZE=2 FACE="Arial">There are some encouraging references to adult and family literacy in the Reading First portion of the ESEA bill that are worth noting.</FONT></P>
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<BR><FONT SIZE=2 FACE="Arial">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." </FONT></P>
<P><FONT SIZE=2 FACE="Arial">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."</FONT></P>
<P><FONT SIZE=2 FACE="Arial">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.</FONT></P>
<P><FONT SIZE=2 FACE="Arial">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.</FONT></P>
<P><FONT SIZE=2 FACE="Arial">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.</FONT></P>
<P><B><I><FONT SIZE=2 FACE="Lucida Sans Unicode">Christy Gullion</FONT></I></B>
<BR><I><FONT SIZE=2 FACE="Lucida Sans Unicode">Associate Director for Federal Policy</FONT></I>
<BR><I><FONT SIZE=2 FACE="Lucida Sans Unicode">National Institute for Literacy</FONT></I>
<BR><I><FONT SIZE=2 FACE="Lucida Sans Unicode">1775 I Street, NW, Suite 730</FONT></I>
<BR><I><FONT SIZE=2 FACE="Lucida Sans Unicode">Washington, DC 20006</FONT></I>
<BR><I><FONT SIZE=2 FACE="Lucida Sans Unicode">ph. 202-233-2033</FONT></I>
<BR><I><FONT SIZE=2 FACE="Lucida Sans Unicode">fax 202-233-2050</FONT></I>
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