U.S. Secretary of Education Rod Paige today announced that Arizona, Michigan and Utah will receive major new grants to help schools and school districts improve student's reading achievement under Reading First, President Bush's extraordinary reading reform initiative built on scientifically based research.

The three states' applications were comprehensive and each passed a rigorous panel review that judged state plans to meet 25 review criteria.

Arizona will receive $17.7 million this year, and $116 million over six years; Michigan will receive $28.5 million this year and $186.5 million over six years; and Utah will receive $4.6 million and $30 million over six years. The six-year totals are subject to each state's successful implementation and congressional appropriations. This year's funds are available to states now.

The grants announced today support significant improvements in classroom reading instruction based on proven methods, screening and diagnosis of reading difficulties, monitoring of student progress, and thorough and high-quality professional development for teachers. States will build a statewide infrastructure to guide reform and assist school districts that are funded under a state-run competition for subgrants.

"Reading First will help transform reading instruction from the fads of the past into the most focused, early reading initiative ever undertaken in this nation," Paige said. "The program's focus on scientific evidence, including the essential elements of proven reading instruction, constitutes a recipe for success. Now we can ensure that all children will be given the tools and instruction they need to read well by the end of the third grade."

When President Bush entered office, he made improving children's reading achievement a centerpiece of his education reform agenda. Research shows that reading failure exacts a heavy toll on student motivation and school performance, and improved early reading instruction can be the first step toward raising academic achievement.

The president designed Reading First around an extensive knowledge base of the skills children need to learn to read. The program reflects the recommendations of a congressionally mandated, exhaustive review of scientifically based research on how students learn to read, completed by the National Reading Panel in 2000.

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 scientific research proven to work in the teaching of reading;

• Providing professional training for educators in reading instruction; and

• Supplying substantial resources to support the unprecedented initiative.

To help states develop quality programs and solid applications, states had the benefit of nearly three days of assistance to develop their state strategies and Reading First applications during the Secretary's Reading Leadership Academies that all states attended this spring.

State applications undergo a rigorous review by a panel of reading experts, selected by the secretary of education, the National Institute for Literacy, the National Research Council, and the National Institute of Child Health and Human Development. Paige announced awards to Alabama, Colorado and Florida in June. States that are successful will receive funds under a formula and will run competitions for subgrants to eligible school districts. A list of estimated state grants, and next year's funding under President Bush's request for $1 billion for the second year of the program, is available at: www.ed.gov/news/pressreleases/2002/01/estimates.html.

Note to Editor: For more information about Arizona's plans for Reading First, contact: Marie Mancuso at (602) 542-5134. For more information about Michigan's plans for Reading First, contact: Faith Stevens at (517) 241-2479. For more information about Utah's plans for Reading First, contact Laurie Lacy at (801) 538-7510.

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