Reading & Literacy

Reading First Positions Getting Cut

February 11, 2009 1 min read
  • Save to favorites
  • Print

One of the more visible benefits of the federal Reading First program was that the $1 billion-a-year funding provided for reading coaches in each participating school. Those coaches were assigned to work with teachers to improve practice and expand their understanding of the research on literacy development.

Now, with the funding stream dried up and the growing economic woes across the country, schools are starting to abandon some of the basic tenets of the Reading First program, particularly when it comes to the additional staffing it required.

See these news reports out of Florida and New York. The extensive professional development provided under the program is not likely to last either. I wonder if teachers will get to keep those nifty hand-held computers either.

Of course, the bigger question is how will schools and districts sustain the changes they’ve made under Reading First given the lack of resources?

A version of this news article first appeared in the Curriculum Matters blog.

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
Reflections on Evidence-Based Grading Practices: What We Learned for Next Year
Get real insights on evidence-based grading from K-12 leaders.
Content provided by Otus
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
Student Well-Being Webinar
Creating Resilient Schools with a Trauma-Responsive MTSS
Join us to learn how school leaders are building a trauma-responsive MTSS to support students & improve school outcomes.
School & District Management Live Online Discussion A Seat at the Table: We Can’t Engage Students If They Aren’t Here: Strategies to Address the Absenteeism Conundrum
Absenteeism rates are growing fast. Join Peter DeWitt and experts to learn how to re-engage students & families.

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

Reading & Literacy Opinion If Literacy Is a Priority, Why Do We Cling to the Wrong Practices?
There have been two huge developments this year related to how we teach reading.
Mike Schmoker
4 min read
A figure stands above pool in form of book, ready to jump in fantastic world of imagination and inspiration. Concept of knowledge, literature, education, literacy, reading, writing, phonics.
Vanessa Solis/Education Week + Anton Vierietin/iStock + Getty Images
Reading & Literacy Reading Comprehension Teaching Has Improved—But Not Nearly Enough
A review paper of research from the past 50 years shows that many teachers still aren't deploying evidence-based methods.
6 min read
Young girl reading in class.
E+
Reading & Literacy 4 Ways Teachers Identify and Support Struggling Older Readers
For most students, instruction in how to read ends sometime in elementary school. But some kids still struggle well beyond that point.
6 min read
Image of a teen looking at books in the library.
Ziga Plahutar/E+