An Education Week review of e-mail exchanges by officials involved in the Reading First program has revealed a pattern of federal interference in the program that skirted legal prohibitions. In the midst of carrying out the $1 billion-a-year program, which is part of the No Child Left Behind Act, federal officials worked to undermine the literacy plan of the nation’s largest school system, pressured several states to reject certain reading programs and assessments that were initially approved under their Reading First plans, and rallied influential politicians, political advisers, and appointees to ensure that state schools chiefs stayed on track with program mandates.
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