Office of Governor Gary Locke
FOR IMMEDIATE RELEASE - May 20, 2001
Contact:  Governor's Communications Office, 360-902-4136
Alt Contact:  Office of Superintendent of Public Instruction, 360-586-2343

Locke's Reading Corps grant money now available to schools

OLYMPIA — Public schools across the state will be able to apply for grants to help struggling students learn to read through Gov. Gary Locke's Washington Reading Corps.

Locke launched the Washington Reading Corps last year after the state legislature granted $8 million in funds to start the tutoring program. This year, the legislature again fully funded the program at the governor's request of $8 million a year for the next two years, sending a message of endorsement for the successful program.

Tapping into the strength and energy of more than 11,000 volunteers, the Washington Reading Corps has helped more than 22,000 elementary students improve their reading skills and build a path to success.

Locke has made education his top priority in his administration, and the Reading Corps is a fundamental piece of his agenda.

"We need to bring together children who are learning to sound out words with volunteers who will listen to them and praise them when they do it right," Locke said. "That's how a lifetime of success gets started, and how a lifetime of failure and frustration is averted."

Superintendent of Public Instruction Terry Bergeson echoed the governor's sentiments.

"The Reading Corps is a great program," she said. "It works for the kids. We've already made great gains in reading across the state, and the Reading Corps will unite still more communities in support of reading."

Locke created the Reading Corps last year in response to the low number of students (48 percent) who met the fourth-grade reading standard on the first Washington Assessment of Student Learning (WASL) in 1997. In 1998, nearly 56 percent of fourth-grade students met the reading standard.

"While the test scores are on the rise, we still have a long way to go," Locke said. "The Reading Corps is working, and we must continue to support its goal to help every student become a good reader."

Nearly 200 schools across the state have Reading Corps programs up and running. The programs also use AmeriCorps and VISTA volunteers who tutor children and work in the community to support the program.

Nearly $100,000 in private donations to the Reading Corps purchased books for children to practice reading at home. Priority for these funds went to students in low-income schools. A private donation of $100,000 will help sponsor a statewide conference Sept. 22 at the University of Washington. The conference will focus on reading and tutoring approaches, volunteerism and community involvement.

Today, the Office of the Superintendent of Public Instruction sends out applications for schools to apply for grants to support Reading Corps programs. The grants can be used for effective research-based reading programs that include volunteer tutors or mentors.

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