| FOR RELEASE August 26, 1997 | Contact: David Thomas (202) 401-1576 |
"Reading is clearly the most fundamental academic skill," Riley said, "and our goal is to have every child reading independently by the end of the third grade. This grant will examine successful reading practices that link homes and schools, provide community resources for family reading, and establish solid ties to effective preschool practices."
In addition, researchers will follow examples of best practices focusing on effective teaching of reading in early primary grades and then disseminate the results to educators.
Collaborating with the National Research Center in the five year project are Michigan State University, the University of Minnesota, the University of Pennsylvania, the University of Southern California and the University of Virginia.
Riley said the investment in research complements the America Reads Challenge, an initiative that encourages communities to support reading through volunteer tutoring programs. "Engaging people from all walks of life to help young children improve their reading skills provides more learning opportunities for students while supporting teachers' abilities to develop and expand best practices in the classroom."
Riley also noted that the Education Department has awarded a contract to develop a voluntary national fourth grade test in reading and eighth grade test in math that will be used first in 1999. "There's widespread agreement that all students benefit from challenging academic standards. The next step is to measure their performance."
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