================================================================= ALAWON Volume 6, Number 40 ISSN 1069-7799 May 22, 1997 American Library Association Washington Office Newsline In this issue: (134 lines) AMERICA READS LEGISLATION INTRODUCED -- ACTION NEEDED PARENTS AS FIRST TEACHERS PROGRAM JOB TRAINING AND LITERACY MEASURE PASSED BY HOUSE _________________________________________________________________ AMERICA READS LEGISLATION INTRODUCED ACTION NEEDED: Both school and public libraries could apply for grants if the America Reads Challenge legislation passes. Library supporters should contact both House and Senate members asking for their support of the bill and describing how the local community could benefit if this legislation is enacted. Congress is in recess beginning this Friday May 23 through Monday, June 2. BACKGROUND: The Clinton administration's America Reads Challenge legislation was introduced in the Senate as S. 644 on April 29 by Senators Ted Kennedy (D-MA), Patty Murray (D-WA), Barbara Mikulski (D-MD), Carl Levin (D-MI), Max Cleland (D-GA), Daniel Inouye (D-HI), John Glenn (D-OH), Chris Dodd (D-CT), Paul Wellstone (D-MN), John Kerry (D-MA), Paul Sarbanes (D-MD), Thomas Daschle (D-SD) and Jack Reed (D-RI). The companion bill, H.R. 1516, was introduced May 1 by Rep. William Clay (D-MO) and 32 House Democratic co-sponsors. PURPOSE: America Reads Challenge is "to help all children read well and independently by the end of the third grade so that they can succeed in school, later in the workplace, and in life." The 5-year $2.7 billion initiative would include FY98 funding of $260 million for the Department of Education and $200 million for the Corporation for National and Community Service to be used for effective local reading programs for preschool-aged children and children attending both public and private schools. HOW IT WOULD WORK: America Reads Challenge grants would be made to States (70 percent of the funds available) by the Department of Education and the Chief Executive Office of the Corporation for National and Community Service in accordance with the relative amounts states receive under Part A of Title I of the Elementary and Secondary Education Act of 1965. The remainder of the funds would be distributed based on the quality of the state application and the extent to which the state has mobilized a broad base of local and statewide organizations to help many more children read well and independently. The legislation would require each state educational agency and the State Commission on National and Community Service to jointly prepare an application describing the state's plan, outlining collaboration with the business sector and with other public and private agencies -- which include school districts, elementary schools, libraries, literacy organizations, reading associations, institutions of higher education, senior citizen groups, arts and cultural groups, religious and other community groups, and programs funded under the national service laws. States would make competitive subgrants to local reading programs. Eligible applicants would be a consortium of a local educational agency (or one or more schools of such an agency) and at least one other public or private agency or organization (such as a library, museum, or other cultural institution, community-based organization, business or other employer, senior citizens group, youth group, parent association, civic group, literacy organization, or institution of higher education) or Indian tribe. Local applicants must use the funds for local reading programs, such as the cost of reading specialists, materials, training of tutors, and family literacy activities. _________________________________________________________________ PARENTS AS FIRST TEACHERS PROGRAM With $50 million of Education Department funding and 25 percent of National Service funding, competitive grants would be made to develop or expand large-scale local reading programs that could serve as effective models; national or regional information networks; reading programs conducted by national organizations in more than one state; or other relevant activities. At least 10 percent of this part of the legislation is to be used to support information networks or other programs "that provide appropriate support, training and educational materials to involve and assist parents (and other adult primary care givers) to help their children become successful readers by the end of the third grade." This is the Parents as First Teachers Program, part of America Reads Challenge. Applicants may be national organizations; multi-state consortia, or local subgrant applicants that have the capacity to conduct programs of sufficient size to serve as national models. Up to 5 percent of funding could be used by the Department of Education and the Corporation for National and Community Service for technical assistance, dissemination of materials and information about best practices, other supportive activities, and for evaluation of the program. _________________________________________________________________ JOB TRAINING AND LITERACY MEASURE PASSED BY HOUSE A major job training, literacy and vocational rehabilitation bill, H.R. 1385, the Employment, Training, and Literacy Enhancement Act of 1997, was reported favorably from the House Education and the Workforce Committee on May 8 (H. Report 105-93) and was approved by the House on May 16. This legislation, which was attempted last year but never passed, consolidates many job training programs and adult education programs into block grants. As announced by Rep. William Goodling (R-PA), Chair of the House Education and the Workforce Committee on library legislative day, the bill specifically provides that libraries may apply for grants under Title III-Adult Education and Family Literacy Programs, sec. 313. _________________________________________________________________ ALAWON is a free, irregular publication of the American Library Association Washington Office. To subscribe, send the message: subscribe ala-wo [your_firstname] [your_lastname] to listproc @ala.org. ALAWON archives at http://www.ala.org/washoff/alawon. Visit our Web site at http://www.alawash.org. ALA Washington Office 202.628.8410 (V) 1301 Pennsylvania Ave., NW, #403 202.628.8419 (F) Washington, DC 20004-1701 800.941.8478 (V) Lynne E. Bradley, Editor Deirdre Herman, Managing Editor Contributors: Mary Costabile All materials subject to copyright by the American Library Association may be reprinted or redistributed for noncommercial purposes with appropriate credits. =================================================================