Some 500 educators attending the National Reading First Conference here in Nashville this week have signed up for more information about a new national association that will push for legislation and policies based on the tenets of the federal program. State Reading First directors came up with the idea for the National Association for Reading First after learning about plans in Congress to eliminate the $1 billion-a-year grant program, according to Debora Scheffel, who directs the program in Colorado.
The organization will promote inclusion of Reading First principles in the reauthorization of the No Child Left Behind Act, and work to disseminate information on research-based instruction and intervention.
The association’s founders hope to sign up enough members—annual membership is $50—to help bolster their case that Reading First has a lot of support from the field.
