Reading & Literacy Collection

Reading First

Read Education Week’s coverage of the Bush administration’s flagship reading program.

Reading & Literacy Former ‘Reading First’ Adviser to Leave Federal Post
Edward J. Kame’enui will resign from his current position at the U.S. Department of Education, the agency announced Wednesday.
Sean Cavanagh, May 16, 2007
3 min read
BRIC ARCHIVE
Secretary of Education Margaret Spellings testifies before the House education committee on Reading First and student loans.
Christopher Powers/Education Week
Reading & Literacy Senate Report Cites ‘Reading First’ Conflicts
A report suggests that a former Reading First consultant actively promoted his commercial products while serving as a key adviser to states.
Kathleen Kennedy Manzo, May 15, 2007
6 min read
Reading & Literacy DIBELS Involved in ‘Reading First’ Controversies
The assessment tool is approved for use under the federal reading program in 45 states to monitor student progress on reading fluency.
Lynn Olson, May 1, 2007
3 min read
Reading & Literacy House Panel Grills Witnesses on Reading First
The inspector general of the U.S. Department of Education referred some of the information gathered in a lengthy audit of the program to federal law-enforcement officials for further investigation.
Kathleen Kennedy Manzo, April 24, 2007
4 min read
Reading & Literacy ‘Reading First’ Contractor Neglected Bias Rules
Inspector general's report says company did not take appropriate steps to prevent problems.
Kathleen Kennedy Manzo, March 13, 2007
6 min read
Reading & Literacy Ed. Dept. Allowed Singling Out of ‘Reading First’ Products
Federal officials also failed to screen a contractor for potential bias, says a new report.
Kathleen Kennedy Manzo, March 6, 2007
7 min read
Greg Lewis, Ogden’s Reading First director, meets with reading coaches at the district’s headquarters.
Greg Lewis, Ogden’s Reading First director, meets with reading coaches at the district’s headquarters.
Ramin Rahimian for Education Week
Reading & Literacy Reading Rituals
The Ogden, Utah, schools have used mandates of the federal Reading First grant program to fine-tune instruction districtwide, and students' scores are way up.
Kathleen Kennedy Manzo, February 27, 2007
9 min read
Reading & Literacy Ed. Dept. Allowed Singling Out of ‘Reading First’ Products
Federal officials also failed to screen a contractor for potential bias, says a new report.
Kathleen Kennedy Manzo, February 23, 2007
6 min read
Reading & Literacy E-Mails Reveal Federal Reach Over Reading
An Education Week review of hundreds of e-mail exchanges details a pattern of federal interference in the program that skirted legal prohibitions.
Kathleen Kennedy Manzo, February 20, 2007
18 min read
Reading & Literacy Reading Law Fails to Bring Innovations
Despite Reading First's $1 billion-a-year investment in improving reading instruction, little has changed in the kinds of reading products and programs being offered since the initiative was rolled out, according to some experts.
Kathleen Kennedy Manzo, December 12, 2006
10 min read
Reading & Literacy ‘Reading First’ Details Sought by Lawmakers
Two prominent Democrats are demanding to know more about the problems identified in the implementation of the federal Reading First program, including whether criminal violations may have occurred and what Secretary of Education Margaret Spellings may have known about the problems while she was a White House aide.
David J. Hoff, October 10, 2006
7 min read
Reading & Literacy Scathing Report Casts Cloud Over ‘Reading First’
The findings of a scathing report on the federal Reading First program continued to reverberate last week following its Sept. 22 release, fueling debates in Congress, on the Internet, and among professionals in the field about their gravity and potential impact.
Kathleen Kennedy Manzo, September 29, 2006
10 min read
Reading & Literacy ‘Reading First’ Appears to Prompt Improvement
The federal Reading First initiative has led to improved reading instruction, assessment, and student achievement in schools taking part in the $1 billion-a-year grant program, as well as in some of the nonparticipating schools in districts that have widely adopted its principles, a study released last week concludes.
Kathleen Kennedy Manzo, September 26, 2006
3 min read
Reading & Literacy Reading First Schools: More Reading Going On, Study Finds
Schools in the federal Reading First program dedicate more time to reading instruction and teacher professional development, and are more likely to use assessment data to inform teaching, than Title I schools that are not in the grant program, concludes a study on the $1 billion-a-year initiative.
Kathleen Kennedy Manzo, August 8, 2006
3 min read