U.S. Deputy Secretary of Education Raymond Simon today joined U.S. Senator Pat Roberts (R-KS) to highlight strides Kansas has made under No Child Left Behind. Deputy Secretary Simon and Senator Roberts recognized what is working for Kansas educators and students by awarding a $3,425,557 Early Reading First grant for the Wyandotte County Early Reading First program.

Deputy Secretary Simon and Senator Roberts began the day in Gardner, where they surprised eighth-grade math teacher Stephanie Shephard, naming her the 2007 No Child Left Behind American Star of Teaching for the state of Kansas. Stephanie Shephard helped raise student test scores in math to the highest in schools history, with 92.9% of her students scoring proficient or better on the Kansas state assessments last year. In addition to her hard work in the classroom, Shephard goes the extra mile by serving as a mentor to new teachers and working with the Collaboration Academy to develop warm-up exercises for students to better prepare them for assessments.

"Just like Stephanie Shephard, No Child Left Behind expects results for every child. So we must support teachers who get the job done in America's most challenging classrooms," said U.S. Secretary of Education Margaret Spellings. "The American Stars of Teaching highlight some of the many outstanding educators in communities across the nation who are making a difference for their students and helping to close the achievement gap so that every child can succeed."

"As a former teacher, I know how rare it is to be recognized for the often thankless work our teachers in Kansas and across the nation put into shaping young minds," said Senator Roberts. "That is why it is especially important that we pay tribute to a teacher that has excelled in her dedication and commitment to the education of her students. Ms. Shephard is a shining example to us all. Congratulations."

Teachers across all grade levels and disciplines will be honored this fall as American Stars of Teaching. One teacher will be recognized in every state and the District of Columbia. A committee of former teachers at the U.S. Department of Education selected the American Stars from among 4,000 nominations based on their success in improving academic performance and making a difference in their students' lives.

Started in 2004, the American Stars of Teaching is part of the U.S. Department of Education's Teacher-to-Teacher Initiative, which includes regional and district workshops, roundtables for teachers and principals, regular e-mail updates, and digital learning. By the end of this summer, the teachers of over one million students will have benefited from these Teacher-to-Teacher activities. The Department and Secretary Spellings are committed to supporting educators through the Teacher-to-Teacher Initiative and other programs.

President Bush and Congress have provided an unprecedented $27 billion in federal funding since 2002 to support teachers. One of President Bush's new initiatives—the Teacher Incentive Fund—was funded for the first time in 2006 and is providing financial incentives to teachers who improve student achievement in high-poverty schools. Another program supporting teachers is permanent student loan forgiveness up to $17,500 for highly qualified math and science teachers who choose to serve low-income communities.

Following the surprise announcement, Deputy Secretary Simon and Senator Roberts joined Kansas Commissioner of Education Alexa Posny to announce the $3,425,557 Early Reading First grant to the University of Kansas Center for Research. In a visit to Bryant Preschool in Kansas City, Deputy Secretary Simon highlighted the work that Wyandotte County, in cooperation with Juniper Gardens Children Project (JGCP) and Project EAGLE at the University of Kansas, is doing to ensure that young children in the area are learning the early language and pre-reading skills they need to succeed in elementary school and beyond.

"Reading is the building block that makes all other learning possible," Deputy Secretary Simon said. "Programs like Early Reading First help to better prepare young children to learn and master critical reading skills they need to become successful readers in elementary school."

Early Reading First is President Bush's initiative to improve the school readiness of our nation's young children, especially those from low-income families, by transforming early childhood education programs into centers of educational excellence. It builds upon the President's Good Start, Grow Smart initiative to improve early childhood education and strengthen early learning for young children. These grant funds are used to improve the use of instructional materials and teaching strategies through scientifically proven practices.

Early Reading First programs focus on language, cognition and early reading so that young children enter kindergarten with the oral language, phonological awareness, print awareness and knowledge of the alphabet necessary to begin to learn how to read. This year, the U.S. Department of Education is awarding 32 new Early Reading First grants totaling $114,972,187.

More information about the program is available at: http://www.ed.gov/programs/earlyreading.

For more information on the American Stars of Teaching program, visit http://www.ed.gov/teachers/how/tools/initiative/america-stars-factsheet.html.

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