The problems that states have faced implementing the federal Reading First program are outlined in a report by the Congressional Research Service, the policy-research arm of Congress.
“Reading First: Implementation Issues and Controversies” is available from the Congressional Research Service.
The report notes that the $1 billion-a-year program to improve research-based reading instruction in schools required “significant start-up time … because the program is complex and many of its requirements are new.”
It also highlights criticisms of the program, which has been called overly prescriptive, and allegations that contracts issued under Reading First favored certain consultants and publishers.
