PENDLETON, Ore. -- The Department of Education today announced that the Bureau of Indian Affairs (BIA) will receive $9.4 million in federal reading grant funds to improve reading achievement using scientifically proven instruction methods. In total, over six years, the BIA is set to receive $30.4 million in Reading First funds, subject to their successful implementation and congressional appropriations.

On behalf of Education Secretary Rod Paige, Department of Education Office of Indian Education Director Victoria Vasques made the announcement at the Affiliated Tribes of Northwest Indians' 50th Annual Conference in Pendleton. Vasques was joined by Jim Kelly, special assistant to the president for intergovernmental affairs and Edward Parisian, Bureau of Indian Affairs Office of Indian Education Programs director.

The Reading First program is the centerpiece of President Bush's sweeping education reform law, the No Child Left Behind Act. Studies show that when children fail to learn how to read during their early school years, every aspect of school success is affected. Academic achievement can be enhanced through early diagnosis.

"Reading is undeniably critical to success in life today," Vasques said. "President Bush believes that every child should have access to a quality education and that American Indian children are no exception. That's why his No Child Left Behind Act makes our nation's greatest-ever commitment to reading instruction for every child."

The Bureau of Indian Affairs' application passed a rigorous review panel that judged the their plan against 25 review criteria. The grant will support key improvements in classroom reading instruction, including teaching based on research that shows what works, identifying reading difficulties early and providing help, monitoring student progress and continuing high-quality professional development for teachers.

As part of its professional development plan, the BIA will hold a series of regional workshops for teams of educators that include principals, teachers, parents and community leaders. The workshops will focus on scientifically based reading research, instructional assessments, instructional strategies and program reporting and monitoring. The BIA will closely monitor the progress of schools participating in Reading First and will conduct a longitudinal evaluation of its program.

The BIA's Center for School Improvement will integrate Reading First with its infrastructure to improve early literacy. The BIA has convened a Reading Leadership Team to ensure a seamless, complementary approach to reading achievement in BIA-funded schools throughout the country.

The Reading First program reflects President Bush's emphasis on the importance of reading. It was designed around an extensive knowledge base of the essential skills children must have to learn to read. The program reflects the findings of a congressionally mandated extensive 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 scientifically proven methods.
• Providing professional training for educators in reading instruction.
• Supplying substantial resources to support the unprecedented initiative.

State applications undergo a rigorous review by a panel of reading experts, selected by the U.S. Secretary of Education, the National Institute for Literacy, the National Research Council and the National Institute of Child Health and Human Development. Successful states will receive funds under a formula.

Paige has announced awards to Alabama, Alaska, American Samoa, Arizona, Arkansas, California, Colorado, Connecticut, Delaware, Florida, Georgia, Hawaii, Idaho, Illinois, Indiana, Iowa, Kansas, Kentucky, Louisiana, Maine, Maryland, Massachusetts, Michigan, Minnesota, Mississippi, Montana, Nevada, New Hampshire, New Jersey, New Mexico, North Carolina, North Dakota, Ohio, Oklahoma, Oregon, Pennsylvania, South Carolina, Texas, Utah, Vermont, Virginia, Washington, West Virginia, Wisconsin and Wyoming.

A list of estimated state grants for FY 2002-04 (under President Bush's budget request) is available at: http://www.ed.gov/about/overview/budget/statetables/index.html.

NOTE TO EDITORS: For more information about the Bureau of Indian Affairs' Reading First grant, please contact Verla LaPlante, 505-248-7531

###

Top

Back to September 2003