(Washington, D.C.) –
Today, U.S. Senator Patty Murray (D-WA) introduced her major literacy bill, the
Literacy Education for All, Results for the Nation, or the
LEARN Act. This bill will provide schools and states with the resources
they need to make sure that children from birth to grade twelve have the
reading and writing skills necessary for success in school and beyond.
Cosponsoring Murray’s legislation are Senator Reed, Sanders, Brown, and Begich.
“Literacy education is the
foundation for all education,” said Senator Patty Murray. “Children in
every state deserve to have access to high quality literacy education that will
give them the reading and writing skills they need to succeed in school, in
their future careers, and in life. As we work to reauthorize and improve No
Child Left Behind, I am going to fight to make sure literacy education gets the
support it deserves.”
“Senator
Murray has been a tireless advocate for children throughout her career and has
been such an incredible leader on education issues,” said U.S Secretary of
Education Arne Duncan. “She is focused on making sure that every child
receives a high-quality education and that starts with comprehensive literacy.
I feel lucky to work with someone so dedicated to making sure that children get
the educational support and resources they need to be successful in life.
The LEARN Act would make a
significant investment in literacy education across the country. In
Washington state, for example, the federal literacy funding would go from $6
million last school year, to an estimated $34 million under the LEARN Act.
Specifically,
the LEARN Act will:
- Provide federal support for literacy programs, in
partnership with states, local school districts by establishing funding for existing and new state and
local school-based literacy programs and by requiring a rigorous national
evaluation that includes stringent conflict of interest restrictions for
the program’s peer review process. - Enhance the role of states in improving literacy
instruction by supporting state literacy
leadership teams comprised of literacy experts and relevant stakeholders
tasked with developing a comprehensive state literacy plans that build
upon promising practices already being implemented in many states. - Support the creation of high-quality literacy programs by targeting funding to low-income schools and
schools with low literacy levels through a competitive grant program,
providing professional development for instructional staff so that they
may provide high-quality literacy instruction to children and students,
and ensuring that schools provide additional supports to address the
specific learning needs of struggling readers and writers, including
English language learners and students with disabilities.
Click
here for additional information on the LEARN Act.
Senator Murray was joined
on a conference call announcing the legislation by Carmel Martin, Assistant
Secretary for Planning, Evaluation and Policy Development, U.S. Department of
Education; Kati Tilley, English Department Chair, Lake Stevens High
School; and Daniel Rodriguez, a student at Grandview High School in
Grandview, WA who benefited from literacy programs and is now enrolled in AP
classes in his school.
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