[Congressional Record Volume 153, Number 50 (Thursday, March 22, 2007)]
[Senate]
[Pages S3609-S3611]
From the Congressional Record Online through the Government Publishing Office [www.gpo.gov]

      By Mr. SESSIONS (for himself, Mrs. Murray, Mr. Cochran, Mr. 
        Kerry, Mr. Lott, Mr. Akaka, Mr. Burr, Mr. Dodd, Mr. Domenici, 
        Mr. Bingaman, and Mrs. Lincoln):
  S. 958. A bill to establish an adolescent literacy program; to the 
Committee on Health, Education, Labor, and Pensions.
  Mr. SESSIONS. Mr. President, today Senator Murray and I are pleased 
to introduce the Striving Readers Act, for the eight million middle and 
high school students across this country who are not reading well 
enough to

[[Page S3610]]

succeed in school. I thank Senator Murray for her longstanding 
leadership on this issue, as well as the Alliance for Excellent 
Education, the International Reading Association, and the National 
Association of Secondary School Principals. I also thank my colleagues, 
Republican and Democrat, who have agreed to cosponsor the bill Senator 
Cochran, Senator Kerry, Senator Lott, Senator Akaka, Senator Burr, 
Senator Dodd, Senator Domenici, Senator Bingaman, and Senator Lincoln. 
I thank them for their support and for demonstrating that improving 
reading and writing in every grade is something we all can get behind.
  This important bill will help schools in every State ensure our 
adolescents read and write well enough to learn in school, graduate on 
time, and succeed in college and the workplace. Better literacy is the 
cornerstone to improving student achievement in all subjects, lowering 
dropout rates, and ensuring students do well when they go on to college 
or the workforce. A recent study by the American College Testing 
Program (ACT) found that students with better literacy skills in high 
school do better in their math, science, and social studies courses 
both in high school and in college.
  The Striving Readers Act marks an important effort to improve reading 
for the older student. Last year, Congress appropriated $1 billion for 
the Reading First program available for every State to ensure children 
read by the third grade. That was an important step, and we have seen 
4th grade reading scores rise nationally because of it. However, 
research shows that many readers who test well in 4th grade do not 
carry that knowledge into upper grades. We must not risk squandering 
the investment Congress has already made for younger students.
  Seventy percent of our middle and high school students read below 
grade level. That means we must continue our support for ongoing 
programs that reflect the needs of the older student for more advanced 
vocabulary and comprehension skills. All students, throughout their K-
12 educational experience, deserve adequate support to ensure they 
graduate on time with appropriate skills and knowledge that meet the 
demands of the 21st century.
  To be sure, some problems with the Reading First program have 
surfaced. Let me assure you that the Striving Readers bill addresses 
those problems to ensure the law and its implementation are fair, 
transparent, and driven by research, not special interests. 
Interestingly, many in my State have told me that the law is good and 
showing results; the problems have come with poor implementation.
  Low literacy skills don't just cost the student; they cost our 
economy because students don't learn what they should in school. The 
National Center for Education Statistics found that 53 percent of 
undergraduates require remediation. One-half of these students required 
a remedial writing course, and 35 percent took remedial reading. That 
means community colleges spend $1.4 billion every year catching kids up 
to where they should have been when they graduated. The Mackinac Center 
for Public Policy reports an estimated $16.6 billion in remediation 
costs to the U.S. economy each year. This means that America's 
businesses and colleges are spending $16.6 billion teaching high school 
graduates skills they should have learned in high school.
  America's declining competitiveness in the global economy is due in 
part to sub-par literacy skills. International comparisons of reading 
performance placed American 11th graders close to the bottom, behind 
students from the Philippines, Indonesia, Brazil, and other developing 
nations. Our high school graduates continue to lag, as employers move 
jobs overseas, not for the low-cost labor alone, but also to tap into 
the highly literate, motivated, and technologically skilled workers 
that other nations can offer them.
  The Striving Readers Act will help our Nation raise its literacy 
levels and compete in a global arena. We can do this. Research shows 
that adolescents with lagging literacy skills can master college 
material if they receive good literacy instruction in school.
  Specifically, the Striving Readers bill would do the following:
  Help States create statewide literacy initiatives, share data on 
student progress with parents and the public, and improve teacher 
training and professional development in literacy so that all students 
receive high quality instruction.
  Help districts and schools create plans to improve literacy, 
including targeted interventions for students far below grade level, 
top notch assessments for all students, training for teachers in every 
subject to incorporate literacy strategies, and regular data to improve 
teaching and learning.
  Allow districts and schools to hire and place literacy coaches, train 
parents to support the literacy development of their child, and connect 
learning inside the classroom with learning that takes place outside 
the classroom.
  Ensure States, districts, and schools participate in a rigorous 
evaluation that demonstrates student progress.
  Require the Federal Government to complete an overall evaluation of 
the program to determine its impact on the Nation's middle and high 
schools.
  I am proud to say that my State has been working on this issue for a 
long time. In 1998 Alabama launched the Alabama Reading Initiative 
(ARI), a statewide program designed to ensure every student in grades K 
to 12 is proficient in reading. We provide ongoing, research-based 
training to teachers in all subjects so that every educator can help 
students struggling to read. Fortunately, the Alabama Reading 
Initiative is now in every elementary school in the State. 
Unfortunately, fewer middle and high schools have been able to take 
part, due to limited funding. This is true in other States as well.
  For those schools in the program we have seen great gains. ARI 
schools have made great progress, and those that have had the benefit 
of additional funding from the Federal Reading First program have shown 
even more rapid, dramatic gains. Many of you have heard of the 
outstanding impact of the Alabama Reading Initiative, primarily for 
younger children. It is time for us to develop new methods to meet the 
needs of students in the upper grades who are reading and writing below 
grade level. I applaud Alabama's leadership on this important issue as 
they work to expand the Alabama Reading Initiative into middle and high 
schools, and I am honored to offer legislation to promote this effort 
on the national level. I would like to thank Governor Riley for his 
commitment to the Alabama Reading Initiative, and Dr. Katherine 
Mitchell, whose enthusiasm and hard work has made the success of ARI a 
reality for Alabama's children. Alabama has become a model for the 
Nation, and I am so proud of the progress they have made.
  The Federal Government cannot and should assume the responsibility 
for education from the States. But we can develop research, supply seed 
money, and provide leadership to help States make advancements, without 
unnecessary mandates. We can leverage success in places like Alabama to 
shine a light for others.
  We know that, given the right instruction and opportunity, children 
can learn to read and write well and use that knowledge to achieve at 
higher levels of education. I hope that our colleagues in the Senate 
will join Senator Murray and me in supporting the Striving Readers Act. 
And I hope we will authorize Striving Readers as part of No Child Left 
Behind so that children in every State have the reading skills they 
need to succeed in school, college, and the workplace.
  Ms. MURRAY. Mr. President, today Senator SESSIONS and I are pleased 
to introduce the Striving Readers Act. This bipartisan bill will help 
America's middle and high school students gain the literacy skills they 
need to succeed in school and graduate ready for college and the 
workplace.
  I want to thank Senator Sessions for his work on this issue and for 
shining a light on his State's success in raising literacy achievement. 
I also want to thank our original cosponsors Senators Akaka, Bingaman, 
Dodd, Kerry, Lincoln, Burr, Cochran, Domenici, and Lott for partnering 
with us. Finally, I offer thanks to our staff, Kathryn Young and Liz 
Stillwell, who have worked on this bill, and the Alliance for Excellent 
Education, the International Reading Association, and the National 
Association of Secondary School Principals for their work.
  Our bill addresses a serious problem. Today 8 million middle and high 
school

[[Page S3611]]

students across the Nation cannot read well enough to succeed in 
school. This contributes to their likelihood to disengage and drop out. 
Those that do graduate too often falter when they begin college or work 
and then need remediation.
  All around the country educators and stakeholders are working to 
improve literacy, and this bill gives us a way to support their 
efforts. We know that literacy is at the base of every academic 
subject, and it is crucial to student academic success.
  Our bill will engage and reinvigorate those students on the brink of 
failure. The Striving Readers Act constitutes a comprehensive effort to 
give States, districts, and schools the resources they need to ensure 
every student reads and writes well enough to succeed. It would provide 
grants to every State to develop State literacy initiatives that guide 
and support districts and schools to improve reading and writing. It 
would provide grants to districts and schools to assist students who 
are below grade level and to train teachers in core subjects in 
literacy strategies for all students. It would also provide new 
information on what works for struggling readers by conducting 
evaluations of programs.
  This bill could not come at a more important time. In Washington 
State, 66 percent of 8th graders read below ``Proficient'' on the 
National Assessment of Educational Progress. These students, who are at 
the bottom in terms of achievement, are more likely to drop out than 
those at the top. Among this group, minority students' scores are of 
particular concern. Seventy-three percent of Washington State's 
African-American students and 85 percent of Hispanic students read 
below the ``Proficient'' level. These students are falling behind, and 
they need our support.
  I'm pleased to report that my State has made great efforts to remedy 
the problem of low literacy levels. My State launched the Washington 
State Reading Initiative in 2003 to provide support to struggling 
readers in every grade, including middle and high school. Since then, 
our K-12 Reading Model has attracted national attention as a systematic 
reform model. Our program includes statewide training for teachers to 
identify and provide intervention for students at all grade levels. My 
State trains teachers in all subjects to teach reading strategies to 
students. And my State provides guidance to teachers and administrators 
for applying best practices in classrooms. But they should not have to 
continue these efforts alone.
  The challenges we face in Washington are not unique; every State 
struggles with adolescent literacy. Nationally 71 percent of 8th 
graders and 65 percent of 12th graders read below grade level. It 
should not surprise us, then, that only 34 percent of American 
teenagers graduate with the skills they need to do well in college or 
in the workforce.
  If we are to remain globally competitive, Congress must authorize and 
fund a significant adolescent literacy investment for every State. The 
Striving Readers Act would fulfill this need. As a country, we 
currently only substantially support reading initiatives through the 
third grade. International comparisons of reading performance placed 
American 11th graders close to the bottom, behind students from the 
Philippines, Indonesia, Brazil, and other developing nations. The 
Striving Readers Act will help support these middle and high schoolers 
and help our Nation raise its literacy levels to compete in a global 
market.
  Students are not the only ones who pay the price for low literacy 
achievement. With every student who falls behind, our economy suffers. 
The National Center for Education Statistics found that 53 percent of 
undergraduates require remediation. One-half of these students required 
a remedial writing course, and 35 percent took remedial reading. That 
means community colleges spend $1.4 billion every year catching kids up 
to where they should have been when they graduated. The Mackinac Center 
for Public Policy reports that America's businesses and colleges are 
spending $16.6 billion each year to teach graduates what they should 
have learned in middle and high school. This is a costly consequence of 
failing to intervene in a timely manner. We must not continue to make 
this mistake at the expense of students' futures.
  The good news is that research shows we can help struggling students 
make progress. For example, research shows that adolescents with 
lagging literacy skills can master college material if they receive 
high quality literacy instruction in school. In fact, a recent study by 
ACT found that students with better literacy skills in high school do 
better in their math, science, and social studies courses--both in high 
school and in college. Better literacy is the foundation for improving 
student achievement in all subjects, lowering dropout rates, and 
ensuring students do well when they go on to college or the workforce. 
The Striving Readers bill provides a path for this.
  Specifically, the Striving Readers bill would: Help States create 
statewide literacy initiatives, share data on student progress to 
parents and the public, and improve teacher training and professional 
development in literacy so that all students receive high quality 
instruction.
  Help districts and schools create plans to improve literacy, 
including targeted interventions for students way below grade level, 
top notch assessments for all students, training for teachers in every 
subject to incorporate literacy strategies, and regular data to improve 
teaching and learning.
  Allow districts and schools to hire and place literacy coaches, train 
parents to support the literacy development of their child, or connect 
learning inside the classroom with learning that takes place outside 
the classroom.
  Ensure States, districts, and schools participate in a rigorous 
evaluation that demonstrates student progress.
  Require the Federal Government to complete an overall evaluation of 
the program to determine its impact on the Nation's middle and high 
schools.
  The Striving Readers Act comprises a necessary and urgent investment 
in adolescent students. We created the Reading First program to 
strengthen students' reading skills in the elementary grades. While I 
do have major concerns with the implementation of this program, the 
intent of the law and the commitment to elementary reading skills is 
undoubtedly positive. But with reading proficiency stagnating after 4th 
grade, it is clear that we need a significant investment in the higher 
grades as well. In crafting the Striving Readers bill, we took steps to 
correct and guard against implementation concerns, and I believe that 
this bill will provide the critical resources, training, and evaluation 
to implement high quality adolescent literacy initiatives around the 
country.
  I introduced the PASS Act, first in 2003, and in subsequent 
legislation, to take a comprehensive approach to improving student 
achievement in our Nation's high schools, including use of literacy and 
math coaches, as well as research-based support for high schools with 
the most need. The Striving Readers Act will complement this and allow 
States and schools to effectively address the literacy needs of 
adolescents in 4th grade and up.
  Now is the time to invest in literacy for older students and make 
their success a reality. This issue cannot wait any longer. I hope that 
my colleagues in the Senate will join Senator Sessions and me in 
supporting the Striving Readers Act. And I hope we will authorize 
Striving Readers as part of No Child Left Behind so that children in 
every State have the reading skills they need to succeed in school, 
college, and the workplace.
                                 ______