what eles is new.... we should be used to this by now. just like the speach on fuel economy yesterday. all you have to do is see WHO KILLED THE ELECTRIC CAR that says it all

Extreme greed is a sickness and the entire repub party is stricken by it.
Abolish white collar prisons which are a form of affirmative action. Let's see these guys survive a real prison.

I don't understand why the liberals are so upset. The plan, as reported here, did exactly what it was set up to do, following in the footsteps of so many other great Republican inititive, showing that they not the liberal terror favoring Democrats know the way to make our wonderful Democracy show true profit.

Ask the children that use the program if there reading comprehension is better! The problem is we are sending Billions of dollars overseas for a bogus war!

It just gets better and better, doesn't it? Who woulda thunk it? A Rep. gets rich off a program that the gov't just happens to buy now! Nope, nothing smelly here? From miltary contracts to education programs, it's just one buck after another for their own pockets!It's just like mom used to say: "It's not honest hard work, but rather to whom and how much you contribute that leads you to success in this world!"

I am the parent of a child that attends a school using Reading First. It is such a shame that a program that was touted to solve all of our school's reading problems is nothing more than a program developed by corrupt educators, businessmen and politicians. I for one don't know how much this program is helping our children. I don't believe this program is best for every child. The best part of the Reading First Program is that there are lots of data provided on each child. As far as any other benefits, I have seen any. Of course many schools jumped on the Reading First band wagon because of NCLB (which in itself is another mess)! Politicians are not educators and need to remember that and stick to politics!

Of all the low down dirty deeds, the ones where children suffer the consequences are the worst.

What a one-sided report. Brian Ross should report the two studies that have been completed which indicate that Reading First is working! Children are learning to read validated by two scientific studies. Obviously ABC missed that point or the notes above would not be so negative.

For every "study" showing that Reading First works, there are two showing that other reading programs are better. Sure, it provides loads of data, but so what? What does it measure? Teachers who use Reading First spend so much time gathering data, they don't have enough time for reading. For example, there is little or no time for teachers to just read stories to the class. Years ago, reading was an exciting part of the day. Now, it's a drudge designed around methods of data gathering and racking up points. Like every other person who had a hand in developing NCLB, the people who designed Reading First are removed from the classroom and/or have NO experience teaching children. They have no business telling experienced teacher what to do.

Oh, by the way, those "scientific" studies leave out data showing that Reading First is not as effective as many other less lucrative programs. Those studies cherry picked the data to show a very biased point of view.

I would urge people to visit schools that use Scientifically Based programs. In many instances those schools that receive Reading First funds are now exceeding the performance of the more affluent schools in the district. This is a direct result of using effective programs. Politics aside, these programs work... and this is coming from a Democrat, who is in the schools.

I taught third grade for 18 years and it didn't take long to figure out our country's educational system is managed by book publishers. Ten years ago, I took an old fashioned reading process and updated it for students who easily fall behind. . . the ones who don't qualify for special services. It works and it is practically free however it's not Scientifically Based nor Nationally Researched. But then those colorful grade level, beautifully packed boxes didn't produce the readers we need to move toward academic achievement. How many ways can publishers take the same data and sell it again at a huge profit? If anyone is listening, a reading revival for the average third or fourth grade child is possible without a slim chance of kick back or scam. Closing the grade school literacy gap CAN be achieved by complementing curriculum. But how to get the attention of anyone without dollar signs in their eyes is beyond me.

Insulting to taxpayers and voters that this subject receives such profound coverage. This little Reading Program, when compared to the Federal rip-off that is the Family Law and Child Support Collection Industries, is a speck yet the voting cattle continue to pay, and pay, and pay into the destruction of America....I Pay Child Support AND....I VOTE!

I am a teacher, and I recently did a policy report on RF. While some studies show gains under the program, the RF has an extremely low credibility with students who do not speak english as their first language. Since the RF program is directed at the most high-need areas, it is somewhat ironic that it has not been shown to be helpful with the bilingual student population, a large and growing percentage of the nation's high-need students. (The data is in the Center on Educational Policy report titled Keeping Watch on Reading First)

whatever ....Bush must go!

It's a fact of life: it's not what you knows that matters; it's who you know.

My 1st and 3rd grade childrena are reading at 3rd and 6th grade levels, respectively, not because of reading programs, but because of parenting.

(America is the dessert; the note is the King James Holy Bible)

Just imagine being in a dessert and seeing a mirage, but when you get closer, you see an old shack. Inside the shack there is a well with a pump. There is also a jug full of water with a note on it. The note says “Pour the water in the pump to prime the pump so that the water will come, don’t forget to refill the jug for the next person who comes along”. Now you say to yourself, “If I drink the jug of water, my thirst will be quenched, but I’ll probably die in this dessert. But if I pour the water in the pump I’ll have water for days.” Because there is no way this water would be near this pump in the middle of the dessert. Keep your eye on the note, not the jug of water, the pump or the well, because the note have the Grace of GOD, the wisdom of GOD and principle of GOD.
PS. My Daughter in the Grade 3, FCAT Reading Score 2132 – Level 5
And FCAT Mathematics Score 1971 – Level 5

And on it goes. The list of corruption,cronyism and dishonesty by this administration keeps growing day by day. Its just unbelievable!! Somebody should compile a list and make it public. So that the American people can easily see what has been going on.

Those of you who keep using the term "scientific" in reference to Reading First studies have no idea how a scientifically based study should be constructed or conducted; otherwise you would know there is nothing scientific about RF.

I never knew G.W could read. Maybe he should start with the Constitution. The honorable Mrs. G.W was librarioan. She could always read it to him

The state of the American press today is remarkable. I remember the days when a reporter was supposed to research the FACTS, and not just report one side of a story. I have a degree in broadcast journalism, but it was acquired in 1980. Apparently, the rules of reporting have changed over the years. Just look at some of the anger in some of these messages. I would be angry too if I believed this reporter's entirely one-sided story. Reading First is a piece of legislation. It sets forth a set of achievement standards. It has NOTHING to do with selecting the vendor or vendors for these programs. Nor does it forward any curricula. If the vendor meets the criteria, then the vendor's curriculum is certified. End of story.

None of you know what you're talking about! Expecially you liberals (BUNCH OF IDIOTS!)

Voyager is a compnay of many problems. This is just the begining. Best never put any thought into the actual employee. That culture lives on today. The entire comapny is a train wreck. Turnover is high because they don't pay anywhere near competative, and there is no real management team.

This is just more prrof of that.

What's more surprising:

Another Bush crony getting awarded a fat contract by the federal government?

or

The leader of the free world knows someone who can read without moving their lips?

Okay, so I made up the part of moving the lips.

I have followed this dismantling of reading/writing programs for years. Reading/Language Arts Consultants have watched quality programs unravel because the money was all tied up with Diebels and Harcourt and lexiles and Quality Quinn(Texas connection hugging Bush), etc. I find it sad and ironic that there are millions of dollars to put into these special "scientifically based programs" and not money left for books so kids can actually read. It's like learning how to play golf without the clubs. Now, thanks to NCLB, we are leaving most high needs students behind because they dislike reading the garbage we are mandated to use and they continue to fail the tests they are mandated to take all of the time until the dropout rate soars through the roof. I feel sorry for our students who are caught in this nightmare. It is going to take decades to straighten out this mess.

The Bush adminitration will go down in history as the worst in modern history. This is just another example of the morality this administration said it was going to bring back to the white house. It is just sad. Any of you who think the president cares about your children think again... it is all about greed and him helping his friends. It is sad.

Amazing!! How do you sell sell a mediocre program like Voyager for 360 million!?!?

I have been associated with the creation and growth of Voyager Expanded Learning since its inception in the mid-'90s, long before Reading First. This is a mission driven company, created to address the academic problems of the nations's struggling students who are seriously behind in readng skills. Voyager's first reading program was launched prior to the current administration taking office, was formed around the most reliable scientifically based reading research, and has a record of performance that far exceeds that demonstrated by the "critics" your reporters apparently relied on. In fact,it is clear that the basis of this reporting was generated by those bitter critics whose programs have failed to meet the accountability requirements of Reading First.

Randy Best is one of the most visionary entrepreneurs imaginable. He founded Voyager largely with this own funds, and created a mission driven company that has demonstrably proved the National Institute of Health research that virtually all children can be taught to read proficiently. Well over one million at-risk students across the nation have benefited from his creativity, a number that continues to grow year after year. Individual schools and districts have made the decision to use Voyager, not the Department of Education. It is patently untrue and highly biased to suggest that Voyager has received its contracts on the basis of politics and financial ties.

Randy Best ranks right up there with Bill Gates and Steve Jobs when it comes to innovation and forward looking vision. Why is it that mainstream media, as exemplified by ABC, is so quick to broadcast the negative story, promoted by self serving competitors, instead of touting the successes of the "American entrepreneur? Shame.

Interesting that no mention is made of the mechanics of the program. An interested reporter without a pre-conceived agenda might investigate the state of reading in texas during president Bush's 2 terms. Reading dramatically improved during his tenure for one main reason: phonics-based programs were instituted. Anyone with small children knows the drill. Learn your alphabet, learn the sounds and put the sounds together. It worked for years until the "whole language" disaster was instituted in the 50s. One need only compare the literacy rates for our Armed Forces during WWII and Korea. A drastic drop which can only be attributed to the change to "whole language". Many of our children who are labeled "developmentally disabled" have not been taught to read. Sadly, when school districts receive extra funding based upon the percentage of "special" students' in the district, it's no surprise that drastic remedial measures are not taken.

If it lies and stinks, it has ties to george Bush

Bob Slavin and "Success for All" should not be allowed to continue using political influence in Congress and the national media as an instrument of personal revenge. Voyager is not responsible for Bob's company's sales decline or for "Success for All" being kicked out of most school districts. Voyager has a 95% renewal rate for a reason. It works and Bob's program does not. Bob's endless lobbying in Congress has gotten him more federal appropriations than any other reading program in history so why has he gone whining to his political friends in Congress and the national media? It is because he is losing the competitive battle in the marketplace and is learning that arrogance and a big ego do not teach children to read.

Voyager must fight back and stop turning the other cheek. When a news report contains 95% misinformation, Voyager should take legal action to defend themselves. The good guys will come in last if they don't.

Even if it requires energy that would have gone to teaching children to read, Voyager must stop ignoring their self serving detractors and stand up for themselves.

LaMonte just got a Reading First grant. We didn't get ours.

Open Court is what the reading program is called in St. Louis. It was forced down the throats of teachers here. It takes up hours of the school day and achieves marginal results. Schools have to extend the school day to teach anything else. It is scripted and timed. The teachers resent being treated like puppets, and the students are weary of two hour reading classes. there are few minority authors that are represented and no focus on minority achievement in the stories that the children read. Wasn't Open Court discarded in the 70's? Why is it that the same book publishers always get the lucrative public school contracts? Why don't they share in the accountability for the lack of achievement in our public schools? We focus on teachers, kids and parents, while chronies get rich selling weak curriculums to our schools. Shame! Shame! Shame!

Whole Language, when used properly, includes phonics instruction. Over the years, it was misunderstood and misapplied by teachers who thought it was an easy way out. Phonics taught in a vacuum devoid of context is a disaster, too. Good teaching includes phonics and lots of good literature. Good teachers know that children vary greatly in the proportions of phonics and literature needed to learn reading. Many reading programs, such as reading First, assume that one program suits all. People like Randy Best may or may not mean well, but they never listen to the people who have spent years teaching children to read. If they did, they would admit that there is no such thing as a one size fits all program, and that assuming that there should be uniform benchmarks for judging young children's development ignores the variations in maturity levels. Why, oh why are people who don't know how to teach allowed to make education policy?

What is interesting is that the Voyager Literacy program is not listed in the What Works Clearinghouse of the Institute of Education Science of the Department of Education. The Institute was created to evaluate programs at the level of an experiment. This is the highest level of research according to Experimental and Quasi-Experimental Designs for Generalized Causal Inference. By William R. Shadish, Thomas D. Cook, and Donald T. Campbell (2002). The head of the Institute of Education Science has deep ties to the Whitehouse. The Institute was supposed to be insulated from partisan politics. Yet the Director of the Institute and the former Commissioner for Science in the Institute never conducted this level of research on the Voyager Literacy Program. If the reading scores of the Voyager program were shown to be no better than the results achieved by the Dick and Jane readers, then the value of the company would be almost worthless. The level of "science" used in Reading First is an almost meaningless standard. It is far below the criteria of The What Works Clearinghouse.

Rod Paige and Reed Lyon, the architects of Reading First now work for Voyager. Do we now know why Voyager Literacy was not evaluated at the highest level?

This looks more like a criminal conspiracy than a Department of the United States government.

Response to MDW:

It is baffling that no news agency has ever taken a good look at Rod Paige's corporate connections. Going back to his tenure as superintendent in Houston, he leaves a long trail of questionable contracts rife with conflicts of interest with, among other companies, Coke and Aramark. It would be an easy story for even an average reporter with an eye for detail to piece together.

Rod Paige is the common thread running through all of the NCLB controversy. Why is he treated with kid gloves?

Man, stuff like this drives me mad. First off this is why conservatives like me hate the Bushies - they're liberal big-spenders in self-righteous republican clothing. You want your kids to read? Turn off the t.v., pick up a book and read for yourself adn to the kids as well, constantly. Kids learn behaviour from the parents, if the parents read the kids will. You can throw millions of money at this stuff and all it will do is line the pockets of rich, non-reading fat cats.

In addition to all the commentary here by viewers/readers, there is a common question that still has not been asked or answered from/by either side of the discussion:

"What criteria was used to select Reading First over the other programs?" The natural follow-up question to that would be, "Where is the documentation supporting the decision to award the contracts to RF as opposed to any other organization(s)." Finally, another question that bears asking: Why it is necessary to limit "official" (a/k/a 'allowed') teaching methodology to one format? Kids are not a "one size fits all" proposition in child-rearing, health care or rate of maturity. Does it not then follow that their educational needs are not answered by a "one size fits all" model such as that mandated by NCLB?

NCLB (and its attendant programs) fails the entire country in its lack of accountability in concept, design and implementation. Everyone suffers the results, and none more so than our children.

My child has been taught under the Voyager program from grades 1 through 3. Though nearly a straight A student who'd never scored below a B in even a daily grade, it was recommended at the close of second grade that he attend summer school in order to increase his fluency rate. We opted to get help on our own. I had already sensed that he was struggling to do just what he'd been taught - focus too much on decoding words. When extremely tired, all fluency difficulties disappeared as he simply focused on reading the passage. I researched and found an excellent program that is foundationally opposed to the methods used in Voyager. In approximately 12, one hour sessions my sons' reading improved dramatically. The program accomplished in 12 hours what Voyager could not do in two years. Following much research, motivated solely by deciding what is best for my child, I now believe his difficulties were created by the Voyager program. We have lost a number of excellent teachers and Voyager has played a large part in their decision. My son missed being exposed to real literature in the second grade and has had very little exposure in the third grade, all due to the time consuming overly scripted methods of Voyager. The Voyager program overemphasizes phonics and attempts to break down a very complex brain activity into component parts. Most kids learn to read in spite of, not because of the program, and the testing results are overemphasized in decision making, leaving out the invaluable wisdom of a good teacher. Against the recommendations of an experienced and caring teacher, the TOP reader (most books read) in our second grade was denied participation in an advanced reading class because her scores were not quite high enough. I am sure this is happening all over the nation.
The idea that we can mechanize the learning process is absurd and I only hope and pray the pendulum has swung as far out in the land of nonsensical educational decisions as it is going and we'll soon begin the descent back into REASON. Unfortunately, it will be too late for my son. Our area lacks any other choice, so a move or homeschool may be in our near future.

I am a former employee of Voyager Expanded Learning, and i have sold the Voyager reading solutions into many districts. The reading programs are a great additon to the core programs already in place in the schools, and I know Mr. Best and he is a decent and upstanding business person. He he has been a person of integrity and decency since I have known him. Reading first works and the data that is gathered is critical for these children and teachers. The days of reading to a child in the classroom and putting flashy books in front of them; and hoping that they may comprehend someting is a thing of the past, it will not work.

My daughters, ages 11 and 8 have been victims of this program. My 11 year old used to love reading and was a very fluent reader until this program was implemented. She now reads very slowly and hates reading altogether. My 8 year old is being pulled out of math to work on "fluency". Forget the fact that her reading comprehension is off the charts. I have never had anyone ask me as an adult how "fast" I can read, but I sure have discussed many news articles and books with my colleagues and friends.

Both my husband and I are teachers. I have had the priviledge of teaching grades K-12 special education. Between this program and NCLB, every child is suffering in some form or fashion. I have now decided to refuse to allow my children's schools to use them as guinea pigs. My children will not be assessed on "new programs" every other month just so that our politicians can formulate new statistical reports. I am FED UP! It's time that school teachers stand up and fight for the very things they are there to do--TEACH our children to love learning. Our politicians and book companies are manipulating the lives of so many good, caring, hard-working people that just want to be significant in the lives of others. We don't need politically based reading programs to tell us how to do our jobs. Our children are suffering.

Parents need to get involved and find out just what your local public school is doing to help your child. Then, research the programs and listen to your children. You just might find that they really don't know more about your kids than you do...they just want you to believe that they do. Children need to be read to, and more importantly, listened to. Adults need to listen and let these people know that you are involved and watching every move they make. Your child's future is at stake. Long after the statistics are shoved in a drawer and forgotten, your child still has to live with themselves and whatever level of reading skills they have mastered. Statistics are fleeting--skills last forever.

working withepic now - new program out of texas replacing textbooks withy laptops in NOLA for RSD school District - implementation by October 5000 laptops to be given to students - Memphis is largest with 8000 student distribution in High School - will keep you up on implementation - current problem - not enough tech-savy teachers

Well, It's May, 2008 and the "Reading First Scandal" is in the news again. Can anyone tell me who designed the Voyager program, and how, exactly, it teaches reading? Politics and "conflicts of interest" are political dilemmas - but they don't determine the quality of the curriculum.

Of course - the wisest comment above is that there is no "one size fits all" solution. Great teachers with a solid understanding of the reading process and reading instruction will teach our kids to read - not a "magic bullet" curriculum.