[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.
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