Helping kids read - South Sound - The Olympian - Olympia, Washington:"WASHINGTON – There are zero-book children, 1,000-book children, the summer slide, Early Readers, Reading First, Striving Readers, and programs, methods and studies with names and acronyms that won’t quit. It’s all part of the effort to teach the nation’s children to read.
But with state and local funding for education being squeezed, school administrators and classroom teachers are hoping a bill introduced by Sen. Patty Murray, D-Wash., will inject some much-needed cash into what most consider the cornerstone of learning. The bill would provide nearly $12 billion for literacy programs over five years.
“The need for federal funds is critical,” said Patti Banks, superintendent of the University Place School District."