published March 9th, 2011 in Ed Week
I was rather shocked to read that literacy programs took the brunt of recent cuts in education funding. With the recent focus on improving test scores and the No Child Left Behind Act, it seems to me that literacy skills would be a key component to meeting those goals. The article said the Striving Readers program that used to receive $250 million was completely eliminated. I can’t even imagine how many families and children will be impacted by such a drastic cut. The Even Start Program, which was another literacy program, lost $67 million. Seventeen of these programs in Illinois will close, and they used to serve 643 families. Political pressure to decrease the deficit has led to many programs being reduced or cut this year, not just in education. The difference is that when educational programs are cut, it is kids we are hurting, and it is usually the neediest students who suffer the most.
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