Murray bill provides a fresh read on literacy

CREDIT Sen. Patty Murray for jump-starting stalled federal efforts on literacy with a smart road map — and money — to help states coordinate and deliver comprehensive reading programs.

Under Murray's bill, states and local school districts could compete for $3.5 billion for reading and writing programs from preschool through grade 12.

Federal literacy efforts have been on pause for more than a year after the Bush administration program, Reading First, was exposed by federal investigators as a $1 billion-a-year ethical embarrassment.

Internal reviews found that U.S. Education Department officials under Bush steered contracts toward companies where they had financial interests or stacked review panels to reflect their positions. Not long after, an Education Department study found that, despite $6 billion spent on Reading First, the program hadn't improved students' reading.

Congress stripped the program of its funding

The Obama administration is therefore left with replacing failed efforts with a literacy program built on proven science and high ethical standards. The quicker this happens the better for budget-strapped states hanging in the balance.

Murray's bill offers federal money, technical assistance and unambiguous language about contracting and conflicts of interests.

Timing and intervention are critical:

• Seventy percent of eighth-graders read below the proficient level on the 2007 National Assessment of Educational Progress, an indication that middle- and high-school students struggling to graduate on time face challenges that include reading.

• High-school graduation rates for low-income students and students of color hover around 50 percent, as do graduation rates for students in urban school districts and students with disabilities. Graduation rates for English-language learners are particularly low.

• About 40 percent of secondary-school graduates lack the literacy skills employers seek. The 25 fastest-growing professions, many of which are in health care and education, have greater-than-average literacy demands.

Murray provides timely leadership on a critical issue.