The American Initiative on Reading and Writing, also called
Read Write Now!, was launched by the U.S. Secretary of
Education, Richard Riley, in May, 1995. Its goals are to
assist families in fostering good literacy habits in their
children and to assist schools and other youth and
educational organizations in improving reading and writing
abilities. The target audience for the Initiative is
preschoolers and elementary level students, with special
emphasis on grades K-6. Through partnerships with social
and educational organizations, professional organizations,
and private business, the Initiative has launched a series
of activities, including a summer reading program, a
national tutoring effort, and a mentoring project on the
World Wide Web (The Alphabet Superhighway). Currently in
planning are a national directory of reading and writing
resources and organizations, and an advertising campaign for
vocabulary (The Wild World of Words). Under funding from
the Pew Charitable Trust, two additional projects are being
pursued: the drafting of a white paper by leading
researchers and educators on the improvement of reading
instruction and the development of a multiple indicator
system for tracking reading abilities and interests in the
U.S. The white paper will drafted in cooperation with both
the Council of Chief State School Officers and the
International Reading Association, with other professional
organizations being invited to comment on draft reports.
ReadWriteNow!
Contents
ReadWriteNow! is directed by the Planning and Evaluation Service Department of the U.S. Department
of Education. A research advisory group, chaired by Professor Richard L. Venezky, advises the project and assists in project planning. Significant support for specific projects has been provided by Pizza Hut and Hadassah.
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