“Reading First” Program To Focus On Teacher Training
September 29, 2003
Nashville,
Tennessee schools will receive $111.4 million
in federal grants over the next six years to help all children read
at grade level by the end of third grade. Assistant Secretary for
Special Education and Rehabilitative Services Robert H. Pasternack
announced
the Reading First award on behalf of U.S. Department of Education
today at Bordeaux Enhanced Option School, where he was joined by Tennessee
Commissioner of Education Lana C. Seivers.
This year, the state will receive $29.3 million. The grant, funded
under the No Child Left Behind Act, will support professional development
for reading teachers in grades K-3 in approximately 50 schools in 15
districts.
Commissioner Seivers said, “Governor Bredesen and I are committed
to ensuring that all children in Tennessee can read at grade level
by the time they finish third grade, because they must succeed in the
basics if they are to succeed in higher education and the workplace.
Reading First provides early, critical resources to help teachers instill
in children a confidence and a passion for reading.”
In Tennessee, Reading First awards will be used to support training
of representatives from the State Department of Education and higher
education, who in turn will host ten days of the Reading First in Tennessee
Academy. The program will provide training in scientifically proven
methods of instruction to K-3 teachers, K-12 special education teachers,
literacy leaders and principals of each of the recipient schools.
Schools eligible for the grant funds will apply to the
State Department of Education. Awards will be made in January 2004.
Assistant Secretary Pasternack said, “Reading is critical to
success in today’s society. The basic elements of Reading First
are clear: diagnose and address reading difficulties early; base instruction
on what works; give teachers the training they need; constantly assess
progress; and develop a state infrastructure to see it through. By
designing instruction around scientific evidence, Tennessee and other
states will help ensure that all children learn to read by the end
of the third grade.”
For more information about Reading First in Tennessee,
please contact Jim Herman at 615-741-3387.
