[ Golden Gater Online - October 23, 1997 ]
Bernadette Smith
Staff writer
SF State President Robert Corrigan spoke at the White House Tuesday to kick off a program aimed at teaching elementary school children to read.
The America Reads Challenge focuses on ensuring that by the year 2000, every eight-year-old child can read. Today, 40 percent of these children "are not reading as well as they should," Clinton said Tuesday in a speech.
This year, universities were given a $213 million increase in available federal work-study funds, 30 percent more than last year. The program encourages universities to use half the money to place university students as tutors for children in preschool through third grade.
But SF State has dedicated all of the additional federal work-study funds to America Reads, according to Corrigan, whom Clinton assigned to chair the program's steering committee for college and university presidents in December.
At that time, 21 university presidents promised to participate. Today, according to Clinton, 800 universities throughout the country have implemented pilot programs.
SF State's program has placed 65 work-study students in 12 San Francisco elementary schools. Each tutor is assigned three third-grade students.
Earlier this month, Corrigan, along with Carol Rasco, the director of America Reads, visited San Francisco's Daniel Webster Elementary School, which received five tutors a month ago.
Corrigan said that at the school, he "saw the promise of America Reads come alive. I also saw the shinning eyes of the children when they talked to their tutors."
David Wong, the principal of the elementary school, said, "The program is working really well and students look forward to spending time with their tutors."
More than half of the 78 third-grade students at Daniel Webster read below their grade level, according to Wong. One reason for this, he said, is that more than 60 percent come from non-English speaking homes.
Wong said the five tutors from SF State are "very mature, well trained and are good with children."
Clinton said he believes the current generation of college students are "among the most idealistic and community-service oriented young people we have ever had in colleges and universities in this country." His goal is to have one million work-study students participating by 2002.
Corrigan said "many colleges that have joined America Reads do not have the expertise and resources that we have at San Francisco State."
These schools will need additional training and supervision to ensure the high quality of the program, according to Corrigan.
America Reads was introduced by Clinton in December 1996 and brought to Congress in July. Though pilot programs have sprouted all over the country, the program still needs approval from Congress.
Encouraging Congress to approve the program, Corrigan said, "from my vantage point 3000 miles away, many of the battles in Washington look partisan, petty and disconnected from our daily lives." He added that "enacting legislation providing resources to teach reading to young children rises above what I see as politics as usual."
[ Golden Gater - October 23, 1997 ]