Jacquie's Dunce Cap

Each month I DISHONOR an individual, team, program, school, or piece of legislation that I believe is (or has been) detrimental to the welfare of kids. I welcome your nomination for this discredit, and will consider thoughtfully any name(s) you propose. Please use the "Contact" link if you choose to nominate someone. Remember to explain why you believe your nominee deserves to be shamed, and let me know how I can contact you for verification. Your name will NOT be revealed — anyplace, ever. The buck stops with me. Ouch.

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Legislation (Senate Bill 2740, House Bill 4037) designed to determine how literacy should be taught in our schools, has been introduced by Representative John Yarmuth of Kentucky and Senator Patty Murray of Washington, and is currently pending in both chambers of Congress.

The bill, introduced as Literacy Education for All, and referred to as the LEARN Act, authorizes the Secretary of Education to award grants to states for comprehensive planning to improve the literacy of children from birth through grade 12.

I have listed a few of the bill's components below:

• Competitive subgrants will be awarded to local educational agencies (LEAs) or early learning programs to carry out certain high-quality early literacy initiatives for children from birth through kindergarten entry.
• Competitive subgrants wil be awarded to LEAs or LEAs in partnership with nonprofit literacy organizations for certain initiatives to improve the literacy of students in kindergarten through grade 12.
• Provide technical assistance to subgrantees, coordinate literacy programs and resources throughout the state, disseminate information on promising literacy programs, and enhance the credentials of literacy instructors.
• Contract with an independent organization for a five-year national evaluation of the implementation and effect of the literacy initiatives supported by the Learn Act.
• Provide technical assistance and information on literacy instruction to educational entities.
• Authorize the Secretary to withhold this funding from states and subgrantees, and states to withhold funding from subgrantees, whose initiatives are not making significant progress in improving student literacy.

I have five questions for Senator Murray and Representative Yarmuth.

1. We have roughly 3.5 million teachers in the United States. Are you saying we should allow Congress to tell our educators what to teach and how to teach it?

2. Do you, Senator Murray and Representative Yarmuth, hold endorsements that say you have the necessary education and expertise to teach literacy?

3. Senator Murray, how many years have you taught? Representative Yarmuth, I taught more than 1500 students. How about you?

4. The International Reading Association (IRA) has been doing research on the different methods of teaching reading for more than fifty years. (The organization was founded in 1956.) Do you think Congress knows more about literacy than the IRA?

5. Do you REALLY think granting and/or withholding funds is the answer to our literacy problem?

I rest my case.

P.S. If this bill passes I'll give a dunce cap to each and every person who votes for it. I promise.