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Sen. Edward M. Kennedy, D-Mass., center, and U.S. Secretary of Education Margaret Spellings, right, visit with ninth grade students at the High School of Science and Technology in Springfield, Mass., Friday, March 3. The school is one of five recipients of a shared grant.
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President Bush is recognizing schools across the United States with the placement of a $14 million grant.
“Newark Public Schools will receive a $14 million Striving Readers grant over five years to improve the literacy skills of struggling adolescent readers,” according to a press release at www.ed.gov.
First lady Laura Bush and U.S. Secretary of Education Margaret Spellings announced the grant at Avon Avenue Elementary School in Newark, N.J., on Thursday, March 16.
“A total of $30 million will be awarded for the 2006-07 school year to support the implementation of eight Striving Readers programs across the country,” according to the release.
The Striving Readers Program is implemented in schools to improve reading levels and literacy skills of struggling students. It is also a research program to discover what strategies can be used to improve reading levels.
“The purpose of the Striving Readers Program is to raise the reading achievement levels of middle and high school-aged students in Title I-eligible schools with significant numbers of students reading below grade level,” according to the release.
Though Madison County School District did not apply for the Striving Readers Grant, it does have reading programs.
The Madison County School District focuses on enhancing students reading levels through the Reading First Program. This program involves kindergarten through third grade.
“The program involves assessing and individualizing with each child…it is quite a dynamic program,” said Judy Beesley, the Madison School District curriculum director.
They are starting another program for grades six-12 which is more vocabulary and comprehension based. But reading is a main focus for the school district.
“We are targeting reading a lot and it is a big deal through everything we do … everyone is on board … all faculty,” Beesely said.
Future plans for more grants and increasing reading levels are in progress.
One student at BYU-Idaho expressed the comparison of reading levels in the United States to other countries.
Ryan Ball, a junior from Billings, Mont., attended the Jakarta International School in Indonesia. His dad works for an oil company and his family has lived in various places.
“The English program was far more difficult, challenging and rewarding than I found when I was in the United States,” Ball said.
The reading and writing levels in Indonesia differ from the U.S.
“We wrote multiple essays every week and read many more advanced books,” Ball said.
The Program’s goal is to enhance reading for students across the United States.
“The president’s 2007 budget requests a $70.3 million increase in Striving Readers for a total of more than $100 million,” according to the release.
“It’s so important for each of us as adults and for each student here to be able to make sure they learn to read so they can establish healthy and successful lives,” Laura Bush said.
