A r c h i v e d  I n f o r m a t i o n

September 1998

You have come to Washington for a very important and historic mission: to lead a new crusade to dramatically improve child literacy in America.

We have been on a reading roller coaster for many years now, too often careening from one approach to the next, in our earnest attempts to teach more children to read. Today represents a turning point in our struggle to make the United States a more literate nation. For today, we share three advantages that combine to make change possible.

First, we have the wisdom of your experiences. We?re all smarter students of literacy than we were twenty, ten, and even five years ago. You?ve seen what works and what doesn?t work, and you?re determined more than ever to get it right. With 40% of our fourth graders failing to read at grade level, you know we can and must do better.

Second, you have the full support of an Administration that has made child literacy a top priority. The President and the First Lady have a personal commitment to this challenge, and they are behind you every step of the way. We share your commitment to make every child a good reader by the end of third grade, including children with disabilities, children with limited English proficiency, and children from low-income families.

Third, you now have the landmark report of the National Research Council to guide you. This report, Preventing Reading Difficulties in Young Children, lays a sound foundation for, and gives us confidence to make, real changes -- from early childhood education through elementary school. We have research-based recommendations, thoroughly examined by the best minds in the field, to guide us. This exciting breakthrough is what calls us together today to chart the critical next steps, to follow knowledge with action.

I congratulate you for accepting this mission with the "can-do" spirit that offers such hope to America?s children. I hope that 1998 will be remembered as the year educators and policymakers came together to build a nation of readers.

Richard W. Riley
Secretary of Education

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