Events Calendar
In This Section
Most Read Stories
Police accuse bank robbery suspect of gobbling up note (with dashcam video)
Man found dead in North Akron home is identified
Dad accused of forcing son into field, killing him
Coventry man killed in crash at I-77 ramp
NFL star Chris Spielman's wife loses cancer battle
College student mistaken for deer, shot to death
Browns' roster nearly devoid of consistent players
Review: You've never seen 'Sound of Music' like this
Blogs:
Pets:
Cat-loving chihuahua suckles seven abandoned kittens
The Heldenfiles:
Friday Night Notebook
Patrick McManamon:
For your Saturday entertainment …
Akron Zips:
Hitchens leads Zips in second-half comeback
Tribe Matters:
Seven players added to Tribe’s 40-man roster
Cleveland Browns:
Holmgren expresses interest in Browns position
Kent State Sports:
Kent State blown out in second half, loses to Temple 47-13
Cleveland Cavaliers:
Gameblog: Cavs vs. Philadelphia 76ers
Buckeye Blogging:
OSU – Michigan college football rivals meet in Baghdad
Varsity Letters:
Four area football teams play tonight
All Da King's Men:
Headed For Disaster
Blog of Mass Destruction:
Will Health Care Reform Pass?
Akron Law Café:
Health Care Financing Reform: (68) Democrats Secure 60 Votes for Cloture
See Jane Style:
Vintage Chic
Car Chase:
TIME TO GET YOUR COLLECTOR CARS WINTERIZED
Let's Talk Real Estate:
Silverdome Potentially SOLD!
Ohio Travels with Betty:
George is looking for a Thanksgiving buffet in Akron.
Sound Check:
Steely Dan Plays "The Royal Scam" at E.J. Thomas Hall
HRLite House:
Colloquium at University of Akron
Akron Gamer:
Nintendo's Mario endures even as games come and go
The disappointing results of the Reading First program
Published on Wednesday, May 07, 2008
One of the laudable aspects of the 2002 No Child Left Behind law is its emphasis on improving the reading skills of low-income children in underperforming elementary schools. The federal education law set up the Reading First program, which directs $1 billion a year in grants to qualified school districts for that purpose. The program reaches some 1.5 million children in about 5,200 schools, focusing on phonics, vocabulary, fluency and comprehension.
How disappointing, then, that the interim report last week from the U.S. Department of Education concluded Reading First has not yielded the expected results. Part of a large-scale assessment of the program (the final report is due in the fall), the interim report said the gains in comprehension scores were not significantly different between Reading First schools and others that were not in the program.
The study found, though, that Reading First teachers spent an extra 10 minutes a day on reading skills. Also, schools that spent more money per pupil performed better, reinforcing the value of a focused approach, rather than thinly spreading grants across the district. Put another way, there should be no illusions about the time, money and instructional creativity required for the nation to bring children up to speed in low-achieving schools.
Get the full article here.
Comments
Click here to post your comments
