Education

Time for a New Federal Reading Program?

November 10, 2008 1 min read
  • Save to favorites
  • Print

There is a lot of discussion and speculation about how the federal education agenda will play out under the Obama administration, and whether the new president will take up reading reform in the wake of the controversy over Reading First, and the likely demise of that program.

In a lengthy letter to the next president, Eduflack urges President-elect Obama to be “bold and audacious” and break the status quo in education. He then makes some general recommendations for policy decisions on key issues, such as accountability and school choice and teachers.

He offers this on reading:

“Reading—I have reluctantly accepted that Reading First is dead. But for decades, the federal government has funded programs to boost reading achievement, particularly among minority and low-income populations. We need to continue that commitment, and Title I doesn’t get the job done. For all of its flaws, RF has left a legacy of evidence-based instruction and ensuring we are doing what is proven effective. Let’s use that to build a new, better reading approach. Scientifically based reading is in place in every Title I district across the country. Now is not the time to change horses. Now is the time to build on successes, showing all families—from those in our urban centers to those in our most rural of communities—that we are committed to making sure every child is reading proficient and reading successful.”

It would be hard to argue with a plan for “a new, better reading approach,” but despite the consensus on the need for proven strategies for improving instruction and raising achievement, I suspect there would be a pretty intense debate among educators, scholars, and policymakers about what that would look like.

Any ideas? What would your recommendation be for a federal reading initiative that does not overstep the federal prohibition against mandating curriculum or assessment or instructional approaches? Do you think the new administration will (or should) push for another federal reading program?

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

Events

Ed-Tech Policy Webinar Artificial Intelligence in Practice: Building a Roadmap for AI Use in Schools
AI in education: game-changer or classroom chaos? Join our webinar & learn how to navigate this evolving tech responsibly.
Education Webinar Developing and Executing Impactful Research Campaigns to Fuel Your Ed Marketing Strategy 
Develop impactful research campaigns to fuel your marketing. Join the EdWeek Research Center for a webinar with actionable take-aways for companies who sell to K-12 districts.
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
Privacy & Security Webinar
Navigating Cybersecurity: Securing District Documents and Data
Learn how K-12 districts are addressing the challenges of maintaining a secure tech environment, managing documents and data, automating critical processes, and doing it all with limited resources.
Content provided by Softdocs

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

Education Briefly Stated: March 13, 2024
Here's a look at some recent Education Week articles you may have missed.
9 min read
Education Briefly Stated: February 21, 2024
Here's a look at some recent Education Week articles you may have missed.
8 min read
Education Briefly Stated: February 7, 2024
Here's a look at some recent Education Week articles you may have missed.
8 min read
Education Briefly Stated: January 31, 2024
Here's a look at some recent Education Week articles you may have missed.
9 min read