The Californian in Education

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nie_readfirst.pdf

Reading First - 

The No Child Left Behind Act of 2001, the name given to the federal law designed to improve student achievement, is changing the culture of America's schools. The legislation is targeted to the nation’s neediest youngsters, those who in the past have been left behind, never able to catch up academically with their more-advantaged peers. Though the legislation is complex, two important issues are key: (1) Reading is at the heart of all learning in or out of school; and (2) Children who enter school with strong language and pre-reading skills are more likely to learn to read well in the early grades and succeed in later years. In fact, research shows that it is never too early to start building language skills by talking with and reading to children. No Child Left Behind targets resources for early childhood education so that all youngsters get the right start. The goal is to have children - ALL children - reading on or above grade level by the end of the third grade.


Provided by The NAA Foundation.