U.S. Plan Threatens Free-Book Group (Reading Is Fundamental)

[alp227]

Source: The New York Times

Changes in the way the federal government plans to allocate money to increase and improve literacy pose a severe threat to one of the country’s best known nonprofit groups, Reading Is Fundamental.

Known commonly as RIF, the organization, which provides free books to needy children and has been promoted in memorable public service announcements by celebrities like Carol Burnett and Shaquille O’Neal, stands to lose all of its federal funding, which accounts for roughly 75 percent of its annual revenues.

“We are looking at having to completely reinvent ourselves,” said Carol Rasco, chief executive of RIF, which has received a grant from the Department of Education every year for the last 34 years.

Under the federal budget proposed for the 2011 fiscal year, the Department of Education has proposed pooling the money it allocates to RIF, another nonprofit organization, the National Writing Project, and five of its own grant programs, and instead distributing it to state and local governments. Under that plan, RIF and the Writing Project would have to compete state by state for federal funds.

Read more: http://www.nytimes.com/2010/04/09/education/09grants.html?partner=rss&emc=rss

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Yikes! How dare the government reposition its budgetary method to threaten the promotion of literacy!

:tinfoilhat: The Republicans are planning on making voters illiterate enough to be spoon-fed information via conservative talk radio and Free Republic and thus support the Wrong Wing.

[derby378]

1. Don't worry...

I'm sure the Republican Party will gladly help RIF with a generous donation of unsold copies of Going Rogue.

[The Northerner]

2. Aren't there other groups out there besides Reading Is Fundamental?

[SocialistLez]

7. Yeah

I think maybe Reading is Fundamental is just the largest.

I wanted to do some volunteer work with the local literacy group but all of their trainings occur on days I have to work. :cry: :cry:

[marybourg]

8. Humm. I wanted to volunteer also, but all their training was on the

one day my hubby volunteered somewhere & needed the car. Maybe that's why there needs to be some competition for funds among these groups. Maybe they've become too fat dumb and happy.

[Ian David]

3. Carol Burnett got a Medal of Freedom from Bush for pimping Medicare Part D(onuthole).

Maybe she can sell it to finance the reading program?

[crim son]

4. The Feds have agreed to reinstate funding if

the group renames itself "Reading Is Dangerous."

[fasttense]

5. Very Funny.

:rofl:

Or if they changed their name to "Reading is for Liberals Only."

[Missy Vixen]

6. #5 K&R

Illiteracy is a crisis in this country, so let's cut another program that teaches low-income children the value of reading.

Perhaps President Obama needs to bring in an accountant, make a late-night sandwich, and figure out how to trim* from some other programs (the defense department, perhaps?) to restore funding to such an important program.

-MV

*if you don't get the reference, please rent and watch the delightful "Dave".

[eilen]

9. I loved that group

They used to come to my city elementary school and we could choose one book to keep for ourselves. I would get so excited when they came! This was in the mid 1970's. I hope they still come to schools.

I would be so anxious to read it, I'd get in trouble for reading during lessons. What a shame the Fed is taking their funding. It's really bullshit because this organization may be the only one that provides free books to the kids (you literally could take anyone you wanted, no requirement that it be a particular difficulty rating) without telling them what to read, promoting reading as a pleasurable activity.

For Weekly Reader and Scholastic -- you had to have money to order the books. Poorer schools have sparely stocked libraries and many classrooms have limited array of reading material, particularly in urban schools.