While it remains unclear whether the referrals to the Justice Department are going to be criminal or civil -- or result in any charges -- everyone’s got a good quote or two in their Reading First coverage:
House Panel Grills Witnesses On Reading First EdWeek
In an interview after the hearing, Mr. Miller said: “This hearing made it pretty clear that there was a very incestuous relationship among a small group of people in the Education Department and among contractors. They were very clearly using this program … for profit.”
Reading program to get Justice review USA Today
It wasn’t immediately clear on Friday who the subject of the investigation might be, or whether John Higgins, who led the Education Department’s investigation, asked Justice to pursue criminal charges or a civil complaint.But Rep. George Miller, D-Calif., who chairs the House Education and Labor Committee and is investigating the program on his own, told Higgins: “I think when we put the evidence together we may join you in those criminal referrals.”
Justice Dept. Is Asked to Investigate Reading Plan NYT
The civil division of the Justice Department is looking into his findings, but has not decided whether to begin an investigation, a spokesman said....“Reading First was and probably will remain the highlight of my professional career,” Mr. Doherty said.
Key Initiative Of ‘No Child’ Under Federal Investigation Wash Post
Education Secretary Margaret Spellings, who declined to comment yesterday, has said management problems with Reading First “reflect individual mistakes.” But Doherty said nearly every aspect of the program was carefully monitored by the department and the White House, where Spelling was Bush’s top education adviser.”This program was always firmly under the watch and control of the highest levels of the government,” Doherty said.