12 Boston public schools selected for Reading First grant from US Department of Education

BOSTON - Superintendent Thomas W. Payzant announced recently that a total of 12 Boston public schools have been selected to receive funding under the national Reading First grant program, administered by the United States Department of Education.

The purpose of the grant program is to support schools in implementing proven scientifically based methods of reading instruction in Kindergarten- grade 3 classrooms to help all students be proficient readers by the end of Grade 3.

Reading First grant money will be used to implement several strategies at the school level to improve reading, including the use of state Department of Education selected methods of assessment for reading progress and professional development for K - 3 classroom teachers in the components of reading instruction.

"One of our main tasks in the Boston Public Schools is to focus on early literacy," said Superintendent Payzant. "This grant money will assist us with our goal of making sure all students are effective readers by the time they finish third grade. The ability to read and read well early in a student's education is critical to their success in school."

The Reading First grant is a component of the Federal No Child Left Behind (NCLB) Act that was signed into law by President Bush in 2002. Among the main goals of the law is to ensure that all schools are making progress toward the goal of all students performing at the proficient level in English and math by the year 2014.

The 12 schools in Boston were chosen based on their need to accelerate the rate of improvement on the English Language Arts MCAS exams.

This is the first year of a five-year grant.

The 12 schools to receive the award are:

Louis Agassiz Elementary in Jamaica Plain
James F. Condon Elementary in South Boston
Paul A. Dever Elementary in Dorchester
John Eliot Elementary in Boston
Harvard-Kent Elementary in Charlestown
Ellis Mendell Elementary in Roxbury
Orchard Gardens K - 8 Pilot School in Roxbury
James Otis Elementary in East Boston
Michael J. Perkins Elementary in South Boston
Lucy Stone Elementary in Dorchester
Maurice J. Tobin K-8 in Dorchester
William Monroe Trotter Elementary in Dorchester