Rep. George Miller, D-Calif., the chairman of the House Education and Labor Committee, last week asked the White House and the Department of Education to release all e-mails and other correspondence between senior federal officials related to the Reading First program. The May 1 request is part of an ongoing investigation into allegations of mismanagement and bias in the $1 billion-a-year reading initiative.
In a letter to the White House, Rep. Miller requested the correspondence of Secretary of Education Margaret Spellings related to Reading First during her tenure as chief domestic-policy adviser in President Bush’s first term. From the Education Department, Mr. Miller asked for the Reading First-related communications of former Secretary of Education Rod Paige and several other former staff members: Beth Ann Bryan, David Dunn, Eugene W. Hickok, and William D. Hansen.
On a separate front, Rep. Miller also is seeking the details of all senior-level communications related to alleged unethical practices among student lenders and colleges.
Secretary Spellings is scheduled to testify before the House education committee on May 10 about problems in the Reading First and student-loan programs.
Former and current federal officials and consultants testified at a hearing before the committee on Reading First last month. (“House Panel Grills Witnesses on Reading First,” April 25, 2007.)
