NEW CASTLE SCHOOLS Federal grant will boost reading

The Reading First goal is for pupils to be proficient readers by the third grade.
By NANCY TULLIS
VINDICATOR NEW CASTLE BUREAU
NEW CASTLE, Pa. -- New Castle Area Schools have a $3.6 million federal grant to put reading first in the district over a six-year period.
Superintendent George Gabriel said the federal Reading First grant will enable teachers to assist pupils in developing reading skills. The district's goal is for every New Castle pupil to be a proficient reader by the time he enters the third grade, he said.
Federal act
Gabriel said Reading First is one of the major reform sections of the federal No Child Behind Act of 2001.
He said the grant is designed to improve pupils' reading skills by funding professional development and other support to teachers. The professional development will enable teachers, including special education teachers, to identify the specific reading barriers facing their pupils, and to have the tools to effectively help their pupils learn to read.
The grant provides "scientific, field-tested curriculum," he said. "This is curriculum that we know has proven to be successful."
Instructional materials
Reading First also pays for instructional materials to support the proven curriculum, and part of the teachers' professional development involves learning how to select those materials, he said.
According to information from the office of the United States Secretary of Education, Reading First programs also encourage cooperation among schools, libraries and agencies that deal with young children, and parents to promote early literacy in the schools, community and among family members.