‘Reading First’ FOIA Requests Hampered by Delays, Costs

With the first findings from a federal review of the Reading First program due out soon, complainants continue to battle state and federal officials for the release of more documents related to the implementation of the $1 billion-a-year program.

At the same time, Georgia education officials appear to have launched their own battle against charges of mismanagement, with a complaint alleging that the U.S. Department of Education’s inspector general’s office has exhibited bias in its review of that state’s $200 million Reading First grant.

Officials for the Success for All Foundation, which filed a lawsuit in federal court in January to compel the Education Department to fulfill the group’s requests under the Freedom of Information Act, are seeking documents they say could show a pattern of preferential treatment, as well as a failure to adhere to the requirements for research-based...