I Didn't Know ... Reading First Grant Audit

In the post "Audit Faults Wisconsin's Reading First Grant Process" the author, Kathleen Kennedy Manzo, in Education Week wrote, "There is also no explanation of the decision by officials in the Madison school district to give back its $2 million grant shortly after it was approved. Madison Superintendent Art Rainwater decided to drop out of the program after federal consultants told district officials they would have to abandon their existing literacy initiative and adopt a commercially published core reading program, he wrote in a detailed memo to the school board. ("States Report Reading First Yielding Gains," June 8, 2005.)"

I thought MMSD, per the Superintendent, did not continue the process rather than turned down an approved $2 million grant, because he felt the District was being pressured into a curriculum that did not support what was currently underway in the District, and the Superintendent felt the District's curricula was better for Madison's kids.

Does anyone remember the process? Was the School Board involved?

I'm sick to my stomach about the Dept. of Education's administration of the Reading First grant dollars. Does anyone know if children's reading achievement has improved due to Reading First?

Posted by barb s at November 7, 2006 12:06 PM
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