Reading First is the academic cornerstone of the
No Child Left Behind Act.

ABOUT READING FIRST

Reading First is one of the major reform sections of the No Child Left Behind Act of 2001, (NCLB), signed into law by President Bush on January 8, 2002. This program is a six-year federally funded early literacy initiative designed to assist school districts and schools that serve at risk students based on both high levels of poverty and low reading achievement.

How is Reading First different?

The program is much larger than previous efforts. It is more focused and has unprecedented funding and support. Reading First’s goal is to ensure that every student will be reading at grade level or above by the end of third grade. All instructional elements funded by the grant must reflect scientifically based reading research.