U.S. Education Secretary Rod Paige today presented a $500,000 grant to National Urban League President and Chief Executive Officer Hugh B. Price to reach out to families about the key role that reading and literacy play in a child's successful academic achievement. The award presentation took place during an event at the Gentleman's Request Barber & Beauty Salon in northwest Washington.

"Reading is the foundation to academic success" I cannot stress this enough. In fact, children who do not learn to read early on are at risk of being left behind. And yet, seven out of 10 inner-city fourth graders can't read proficiently. This is unacceptable our children deserve better, and we will change this," Secretary Paige said.

"I am so proud to announce this partnership with the National Urban League. Their tradition of excellence and leadership is critical to closing the achievement gap that plagues our nation's education system. With their help and the good men like Hugh Price, we truly will leave no child behind."

The grant funds will be used to develop Reading Information Centers in the Urban League cities of Cleveland, Houston, Miami and Washington.

"Our focus on early literacy is a key element of the League's Campaign for African American Achievement, a community mobilization and advocacy initiative created to promote to African American and minority youth the understanding that academic achievement matters," Hugh Price said.

"The National Assessment for Educational Progress, the nation's report card, showed again this year that African-American children are bringing up the rear when it comes to reading. Fully 63 percent of black children read 'below basic' in the fourth grade," Price continued.

"For the past two years, we have been working to address this issue through the distribution of Read and Rise, a free guide to early literacy produced in partnership with Scholastic, Inc. Through the Urban League affiliate network, we have already distributed 250,000 of the guides. But even this is just a small start. This grant from the Department of Education significantly ratchets up our grassroots campaign to drive home the message that parents and caregivers must be active participants in their children's learning, and that our children must be able to read in order to achieve."

The Reading Information Centers will distribute information on reading and literacy development to help parents to help their children meet state and local reading and language arts standards. The centers also will assist local and state literacy programs that promote scientific-based reading programs, and will assist community-based organizations, such as churches, non-profits and other groups that offer after-school programs, in designing activities that will improve and enhance children's reading and literacy ability.

The grant is from the Fund for the Improvement of Education, which supports nationally significant programs and projects to improve the quality of education, and to help all students meet challenging standards. Activities funded by FIE grants provide professional, curriculum and assessment development, and demonstration programs aimed at improving elementary and secondary education.

The Urban League is the nation's oldest and largest community-based movement empowering African Americans to enter the economic and social mainstream.

The National Urban League, headquartered in New York City, spearheads the nonprofit, nonpartisan movement, while Urban League affiliates operate in more than 100 cities in 34 states and the District of Columbia.

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