More Resources NCLB Summer Reading Achievers

U.S. Secretary of Education Rod Paige today praised nearly 2,300 Minneapolis, Minn., students for participating in the Department's summer reading program, and encouraged all students to continue reading to improve their skills. On behalf of Secretary Paige, Deputy Secretary Gene Hickok today joined state and local officials for an event honoring the students at Whittier Community School for the Arts in Minneapolis. Students in Minneapolis Public Schools read over 25,700 books this summer.

Minneapolis, Minn., is one of 11 sites across the nation that participated in the No Child Left Behind Summer Reading Achievers Program, which encouraged students in grades K-8 to read actively during the summer months. Atlanta Public Schools piloted the program last year.

"Reading is the foundation of all learning," U.S. Secretary of Education Rod Paige said. "A child who can read is a child who can succeed in school and in life. Research shows us that children who don't read during the summer may lose some of their skills, so it is important to encourage children to make reading a regular part of their lives. We are excited about the strong corporate and community support for the Summer Reading Achievers Program, and we appreciate the enthusiasm of local leaders in helping us make this program work all across the country."

This year's program included the following sites: Springfield, Mass.; Portsmouth, N.H.; Pittsburgh, Pa.; Camden, N.J.; Atlanta, Ga.; Gainesville, Fla.; Kansas City, Kan.; Minneapolis, Minn.; Albuquerque, N.M.; San Diego, Calif., and the state of South Dakota. The sites were selected based on the presence of supportive community and business groups and active school district leaders who are working to reduce achievement gaps.

To participate in the program, students were required to read 10 age-appropriate books during the summer months and to briefly describe the books they read by completing a simple form. Prizes and certificates will be awarded to successful students.

Contributing sponsors for the 2004 program include First Book, Target Stores, Scholastic, Inc., USA Football, National PTA, Boys & Girls Clubs of America, Communities in Schools, Inc., Verizon, Barnes and Noble, MeadWestvaco, Time, Inc. and Fisher-Price. National and local partner organizations provided other incentives and forms of recognition.

For example, Fisher-Price donated a large quantity of electronic learning tools and software to kindergarten classrooms in participating schools across the country. "Fisher-Price is proud to support the U.S. Department of Education's No Child Left Behind Summer Reading program," Fisher-Price President Neil Friedman said. "By donating a PowerTouch Learning System to the kindergarten classrooms participating in this program, we hope to make a substantial contribution to the development of early literacy skills across America."

Reading First was passed into law by a bipartisan majority of Congress under the No Child Left Behind Act of 2001 and centers on the following priorities: raising the caliber and quality of classroom instruction; basing instruction on scientifically proven methods; providing professional training for educators in reading instruction; and supplying substantial resources to support the unprecedented initiative. By providing early diagnosis and help for reading difficulties, Reading First-supported programs improve student motivation and academic achievement.

President Bush's FY 2005 budget includes $1.3 billion in reading funding, including $1.1 billion for Reading First, $132 million for Early Reading First and $100 million for the Striving Readers program to meet the No Child Left Behind goal of ensuring that all children can read on grade level by the third grade.

More information about the No Child Left Behind Act is available at www.ed.gov.

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