Opinion
Curriculum Letter to the Editor

‘Reading First’ Enthusiasm May Have a Financial Source

July 25, 2008 1 min read
  • Save to favorites
  • Print

To the Editor:

It’s not surprising that school districts and administrators like the Reading First program and want to save it (“‘Reading First’ Funds Headed for Extinction,” July 16, 2008). Of course they do—they love having the extra funding it brings in and don’t want to lose it. And not only does Reading First boost budgets in districts that are perpetually short of money, it also pays for a lot of extra staff members.

What if districts were told that they would get the same amount of money for reading instruction, but could use it in any way they wanted, such as by improving libraries, buying classroom books, or, heaven forbid, training teachers in literature circles and old “whole language” techniques? I wonder if those in charge would embrace the Reading First dictates as wholeheartedly as they seem to, if they had some way of keeping the money without the strings.

Cristina Allen

Dual Immersion Facilitator

Glendale, Calif.

A version of this article appeared in the July 30, 2008 edition of Education Week as ‘Reading First’ Enthusiasm May Have a Financial Source

Events

This content is provided by our sponsor. It is not written by and does not necessarily reflect the views of Education Week's editorial staff.
Sponsor
Assessment Webinar
Improving Outcomes on State Assessments with Data-Driven Strategies
State testing is around the corner! Join us as we discuss how teachers can use formative data to drive improved outcomes on state assessments.
Content provided by Instructure
This content is provided by our sponsor. It is not written by and does not necessarily reflect the views of Education Week's editorial staff.
Sponsor
Equity & Diversity Webinar
Classroom Strategies for Building Equity and Student Confidence
Shape equity, confidence, and success for your middle school students. Join the discussion and Q&A for proven strategies.
Content provided by Project Lead The Way
This content is provided by our sponsor. It is not written by and does not necessarily reflect the views of Education Week's editorial staff.
Sponsor
Professional Development Webinar
Disrupting PD Day in Schools with Continuous Professional Learning Experiences
Hear how this NC School District achieved district-wide change by shifting from traditional PD days to year-long professional learning cycles
Content provided by BetterLesson

EdWeek Top School Jobs

Teacher Jobs
Search over ten thousand teaching jobs nationwide — elementary, middle, high school and more.
View Jobs
Principal Jobs
Find hundreds of jobs for principals, assistant principals, and other school leadership roles.
View Jobs
Administrator Jobs
Over a thousand district-level jobs: superintendents, directors, more.
View Jobs
Support Staff Jobs
Search thousands of jobs, from paraprofessionals to counselors and more.
View Jobs

Read Next

Curriculum When It Comes to SEL, Administrators and Teachers See Things Differently
There is a yawning gap between administrators and teachers in how thoroughly they think SEL programs are being put to work in schools.
7 min read
Photo of girl leaning against locker.
Getty
Curriculum Status Check: The Top Challenges to Social-Emotional Learning and How to Address Them
SEL Day 2023 finds social-emotional learning at a key moment: Interest is strong but so is political pushback.
3 min read
Image of dissatisfied, neutral, satisfied.
ThitareeSarmkasat/iStock/Getty
Curriculum Scaling Up Media Literacy Education Is a Big Challenge: 4 Steps to Get Started
School librarians shared challenges they face and what resources they need to expand media literacy instruction.
2 min read
Curriculum Explainer How School Libraries Buy Books, Struggle for Funds, and Confront Book Bans: An Explainer
Schools are under fire from some parent groups over books they deem explicit. This is how those books end up in their library collections.
12 min read
Photo of librarian pushing book cart.
Wavebreak Media / Getty Images Plus