Too Good to Last The True Story of Reading First

The latest report from the Thomas B. Fordham Institute is an in-depth and alarming study of Reading First’s betrayal. Under the leadership of White House domestic policy chief Margaret Spellings and with support from Congress, Reading First was to provide funding to primary-reading programs that were based on scientific research. Backlash and brouhaha followed. Aggrieved whole-language program proprietors complained bitterly that their wares couldn’t be purchased with Reading First funds. The OIG launched a witch hunt against program director Christopher Doherty, falsely claiming that he was improperly favoring particular publishers. Then the administration turned its back on Reading First, allowing the program to be gutted and starved of funding. Too Good to Last: The True Story of Reading First reveals the real scandals surrounding this important program.

Download the report:  https://files.eric.ed.gov/fulltext/ED500480.pdf