[Reading-hall-of-fame] [Fwd: USA Today article about Reading First issues]

[Yetta Goodman]

-------- Original Message --------
Subject: 	USA Today article about Reading First issues
Date: 	Mon, 08 Aug 2005 14:17:10 -0400
From: 	Alan Farstrup <afarstrup at reading.org>
To: 	pastboard <pastboard at reading.org>



I thought you might find the following article, which appeared in 
today's issue (Aug. 8) of USA Today, to be of interest.

Regards,  Alan Farstrup

----
Federally funded Reading First called into question
By Greg Toppo, USA TODAY
The U.S. Department of Education's internal watchdog has opened a 
preliminary investigation into possible mismanagement of President 
Bush's $1 billion reading program amid complaints of conflict of interest.

Education Department officials would not confirm that the department's 
inspector general is investigating Reading First, but a spokesman for 
Sen. Richard Lugar, R-Ind., confirmed that an audit was taking place.

Lugar, a Reading First supporter, wrote to Education Secretary Margaret 
Spellings in June with "considerable concern" about the program, which a 
few opponents say pressures schools to adopt unproven, textbook-based 
reading programs.

One of Bush's signature education initiatives, Reading First provides 
more than $1 billion annually to public schools to help teach reading to 
disadvantaged children through third grade. Unprecedented in size, it is 
one of the few federal programs that isn't shrinking in this time of 
budget cuts. Congress is expected to distribute about $6 billion to 
schools by 2007.

Advocates say Reading First has helped students in thousands of schools 
by training teachers and paying for new materials. But opponents say it 
has all but forced schools to buy textbooks and related materials from a 
handful of large publishers, several of which have retained top federal 
advisers as authors, editors or consultants.

Robert Slavin of the Success for All Foundation, a non-profit research 
group that has developed its own reading materials, requested the 
investigation in May, saying Reading First officials have discouraged 
schools from using his materials despite evidence they are effective. He 
says Reading First relies on the work of "consultants with major 
conflicts of interest."

Since Reading First's inception in 2002, several well-known reading 
experts have both advised states on federal grant applications and 
worked for major publishers. Publisher Scott Foresman touts two former 
Reading First officials on its Web site.

"We think that it is far outside of the ordinary bounds of what is 
considered ethical in government to have people playing such a central 
role in handing out a billion dollars to schools, districts and states, 
and then profiting personally from a particular set of choices that 
they're in a position to advocate," Slavin says.

Education Department spokeswoman Susan Aspey says the allegations "have 
absolutely no merit."

Slavin's is one of several complaints. On June 10, Lugar wrote to 
Spellings that "at best, it seems that there has been a lack of clarity" 
about what programs qualify for funding. "At worst, one or more 
officials contracted to work for the Department of Education may be 
working to further their own interests."

Longtime University of Oregon researcher Edward Kame'enui, who has 
advised states on their Reading First proposals and authored an upcoming 
Scott Foresman reading textbook, says he disclosed his authorship "when 
it was appropriate" but noted that the textbook won't be released for 
months. He says most educators know that many researchers are also 
authors or advisers to publishers, and that promoting his own materials 
would be "a shameful representation of your product, of you and ... of 
Reading First."

Reading First Director Chris Doherty says, "We take that stuff as 
seriously as it can possibly be taken, because we feel that would be 
like a death blow to the program." He says schools in 28 states receive 
federal funding for Success for All.

But Slavin says many schools have been forced to drop it.

Bush has demanded that reading -- indeed, all instruction -- be 
"scientifically based."

Slavin says more than 50 studies, including one released in May, show 
that his reading program produces results. Indeed, it stands nearly 
alone, with dozens of experimental studies. Yet he says he has had to 
lay off about a third of his workforce and close regional offices since 
2002.

Owen Engelmann of the National Institute for Direct Instruction, which 
advocates for another top-rated program, also says Reading First "hasn't 
helped us out much at all." Both he and Slavin say implementation 
problems threaten to turn a worthy program into ineffective instruction 
for poor kids at taxpayer expense.

Susan Neuman, who until 2003 oversaw Reading First as Bush's assistant 
secretary for elementary and secondary education, says she has seen no 
mismanagement but noted a "preponderance" of the same textbooks in many 
states.

Though a few experts say reading textbooks have improved over time, 
Engelmann says, money would be better spent on programs targeted to 
individual needs.
-- 
Alan E. Farstrup, Ph.D
Executive Director
International Reading Association
800 Barksdale Road
Newark, Delaware 19714-8139 USA

Tel: +1 302 731-1600 Extension 220
Fax: +1 302 731-1057
Email: afarstrup at reading.org
Website: http://www.reading.org


-- 
Yetta M. Goodman
Regents Professor Emerita
University of Arizona, College of Education
Language Reading and Culture - Room 532
Tucson, AZ 85721
Home Address
7914 S. Galileo Lane
Tucson, AZ 85747-9609

-------------- next part --------------
An HTML attachment was scrubbed...
URL: http://lists.nottingham.ac.uk/mailman/private/reading-hall-of-fame/attachments/20050808/ae472e09/attachment.htm