President Bush Says Reading is <em>Not</em> Fundamental

Chuck Sheketoff

Reading Is Fundamental, Inc. (RIF), founded in 1966, motivates children to read by working with them, their parents, and community members to make reading a fun and beneficial part of everyday life. RIF’s highest priority is reaching underserved children from birth to age 8. Through community volunteers in every state and U.S. territory, RIF provides 4.6 million children with 15 million new, free books and literacy resources each year.

The Bush Administration has proposed elimination of the RIF Inexpensive Book Distribution Program in its latest budget proposal.

Carol H. Rasco, president and CEO, of Reading Is Fundamental, issued this statement:

President Bush’s proposed budget calling for the elimination of Reading Is Fundamental’s (RIF) Inexpensive Book Distribution program would be devastating to the 4.6 million children and their families who receive free books and reading encouragement from RIF programs at nearly 20,000 locations throughout the U.S.

Unless Congress reinstates $25.5 million in funding for this program, RIF would not be able to distribute 16 million books annually to the nation’s youngest and most at-risk children. RIF programs in schools, childcare centers, migrant programs, military bases, and other locations serve children from low-income families, children with disabilities, foster and homeless children, and children without access to libraries. The Inexpensive Book Distribution program is authorized under the Elementary & Secondary Education Act (SEC.5451 Inexpensive Book Distribution Program for Reading Motivation) and is not funded through earmarks. It has been funded by Congress and six Administrations without interruption since 1975.

Since its founding in 1966, RIF’s programs have played an important role in improving literacy in this country. The U.S. Department of Education has shown that the number of books in a child’s home is a significant predictor of academic achievement. In addition, RIF programs also support academic achievement by involving hundreds of thousands of volunteers and other caring adults in encouraging children to read for fun. We urge all Americans to contact their Congressional representatives and ask them to reinstate funding for this important program.

That's right, even though his wife Laura is a former "teacher and librarian. . . who knows that a love of books . . . goes hand-in-hand with a love of learning," President Bush has proposed elimination of the aptly-named* Inexpensive Book Distribution Program run by Reading Is Fundamental.

* 16 million books for $25.5 million means less than $2 per book!

Discuss.

Chuck Sheketoff is the executive director of the
Oregon Center for Public Policy.   
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By Chuck Sheketoff Feb. 09, 2008