May, 1999 Update

A MESSAGE FROM DIRECTOR CAROL H. RASCO

With a full spring travel schedule to conventions, workshops and the teleconference on tutor training behind me, I want to take the opportunity to say hello to you with the hope your campus is completing a productive spring semester. Higher education came to life for me in a new way this year as my daughter has just completed her first year of college; I fear I had forgotten how stressful the finals season can be!

It has been quite gratifying throughout my travels to see so many examples of the incredible work college and university students are doing to promote literacy among children and families in their communities. I and many others made presentations at the International Reading Association, the American Education Research Association, the National Conference on Family Literacy and the Phi Theta Kappa convention as well as regional and local meetings; these presentations were well attended and great enthusiasm was generated.

Knowing how busy many of you probably are, I have decided to keep this UPDATE short, and send you some exciting SUMMER READING materials for you to peruse at your leisure. Consider these a small token for the many contributions you have made towards meeting the goal of the America Reads Challenge. As the Federal Work-Study America Reads program enters its third year, you should all be extremely proud of the commitment you have made to help children read well and independently by the end of third grade.

Enclosed please find the following items:

The Spring 1999 issue of The Tutor, published by the LEARNS partners.This edition’s focus is on the important issue of diversity, a particularly timely topic given the 45^th anniversary of the landmark case Brown v. Board of Education.

Starting Out Right: A Guide to Promoting Children’s Reading Success.This is a guide developed by the National Research Council that explains how children learn to read and how adults can help them. It provides ideas that parents, educators, childcare providers, policymakers, and others can use to prevent reading difficulties in early childhood and the primary grades. The book is based on the 1998 National Research Council report Preventing Reading Difficulties in Young Children. Additional copies are available for $14.95 from the National Academy Press by calling 1-800-624-6242. This report is also available online at http://www.nas.edu.

READ*WRITE*NOW! Activity Poster. This whimsical poster includes a colorful illustration on the front and fun activities for children grades K-6 on the back. One of the activities, “Be A Star Reporter”, encourages children to e-mail reviews of their favorite books to the U.S. Department of Education for publication on the America Reads web site. As an added incentive, young readers who reach their reading and writing goals over the summer can be rewarded with a free pizza from Pizza Hutâ. We’ve enclosed an English language poster with this UPDATE; Spanish language versions will be available in mid-June. To order, please call 1-877-4ED-PUBS.

READ*WRITE*NOW! Tip Sheet for Developing a Community Reading Program. This useful guide, for librarians, teachers, camp counselors and community leaders, offers straightforward suggestions for developing summer or extended-day reading programs. It includes tips for tutors, facts on reading, resources, sample PSAs and a sample press release. Again, we’ve enclosed an English language version, but this will also be available in Spanish in mid-June. To order, please call 1-877-4ED-PUBS.

A letter from Secretary of Education Richard Riley and an order form for READ*WRITE*NOW! materials is also enclosed. PLEASE NOTE that since this order form was printed, the RWN Basic Kit (in English and Spanish) is only available online.

Promising Initiatives to Improve Education in Your Community: A Minicatalog of U.S. Department of Education Programs and Free Publications. This booklet was created to help provide resources to build partnerships that improve education in communities nationwide. Most of the items in this document are publications available free of charge from the Department. Other items include websites, Department-funded clearinghouses, and organizations we are working with to promote important education priorities.

CALENDAR OF EVENTS

Below is a list of events and days relating to reading, service, and more. If you know of events you’d like to add to this list, please e-mail HREF="mailto:Laura.Wood@ed.gov">Laura.Wood@ed.gov or call (202) 401-8888.

• June 6-9, 1999 National Community Service Conference, sponsored by the Points of Light Foundation, Las Vegas, Nevada, www.pointsoflight.org
• June 26-29, 1999 Annual Conference, American Library Association, New Orleans, Louisiana, www.ala.org
• July 2 is National Literacy Day (sponsored by Focus on Literacy, Inc.)
• July 25-28, National Resource Center for Youth Services Conference, Minneapolis, Minnesota, (918) 585-2986
• September is Library Card Sign-Up Month
• September 8 is International Literacy Day
• October 28-31, 1999 SCALE (Student Coalition for Action in Literacy Education) Literacy Leadership Summit and 10^th Anniversary Party, Chapel Hill, North Carolina, www.readwriteact.org/
• November 1 is National Family Literacy Day, www.famlit.org

FOR ADDITIONAL INFORMATION ABOUT AMERICA READS...

The America Reads Listserv is a forum for interested parties to discuss questions and best practices regarding America Reads programs. To subscribe:

Address an e-mail to:majordomo@etr-associates.org

Type (in the text): subscribe americareads

The America Reads Website contains extensive information about the Challenge, including tutoring materials and the “Expanding FWS and Community Service Opportunities” Guide. http://www.ed.gov/americareads/

Carol H. Rasco, Director, America Reads Challenge
Laura Wood, Coordinator, FWS/ARC Program
U.S. Department of Education
400 Maryland Avenue, S.W., Washington, D.C. 20202-0107
Ph: (202) 401-8888, Fax: (202) 260-8114, E-mail: Laura.Wood@ed.gov

Dr. Marsha Adler, Office of the President, San Francisco State University
1600 Holloway Avenue, San Francisco, CA 94132
Ph: (415) 338-6879, Fax: (415) 338-6885, E-mail mnadler@sfsu.edu

Jeff Gale, Corporation for National Service
1201 New York Avenue, N.W., 9^th Floor, Washington, D.C. 20525
Ph: (202) 606-5000 ext. 280, Fax: (202) 565-2789, E-mail: Jgale@cns.gov

For information on the America Counts Challenge…

Wendy Goldstein, U.S. Department of Education
400 Maryland Avenue SW, Washington, D.C. 20202
Ph: (202) 401-3030, Fax: (202) 401-9027, E-mail: Wendy_Goldstein@ed.gov
www.ed.gov/inits/Math/

Toll free number for comments or ordering publications:
1-800-USA-LEARN or TDD 1-800-437-0833