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Past Extra Credits August 14 All issues

"Good reading skills are the key to successful learning and a more rewarding life.

"That's why it's so exciting to hear that the Lorain City Schools have been awarded a federal Reading First grant for nearly $5 million. The grant is to help improve reading instruction, with scientifically proven methods, in those elementary schools currently showing the lowest performance.

"The goal is to have all children reading at or above grade level by the end of third grade.

"The grant money will go for training reading teachers, a new reading program and other necessary support and services. Included in that is the key element of increased communication between teachers and parents.

"This grant will help the schools build upon the recent 30 percent improvement shown in fourth-grade reading scores in proficiency testing in 2002. That improvement won praise from Gov. Bob Taft. However, despite upward progress, Lorain's school system is still ranked in the lowest category, 'Academic Emergency,' on the district's state report card, and fourth-graders don't yet meet state reading standards.

"The grant will be focused on Hawthorne, Irving, Larkmoor, Lincoln, Longfellow/Emerson, Masson, Meister and Washington elementary schools. The grant program is an offshoot of the federal No Child Left Behind Act of 2001.

"Winning this Reading First grant is another important innovative lift for Lorain's schools.

"An ambitious five-year plan to raise Lorain's state report card ranking by two steps to "continuous improvement" was recently approved by the school board. The Reading First grant should certainly be helpful in achieving that goal."