National Institute for Literacy
Policy Update
REPORT FROM WASHINGTON, D.C.
After extending the regular session by over two months, Congress has approved the Fiscal Year (FY) 2002 funding bill for federal education, labor, and health and human services programs, which includes funding for adult education and family literacy programs. The President is expected to sign this bill into law soon.
The adult education state grant program will receive a boost of $35 million over FY 2001 funding levels. Of this amount, $70 million is set aside for states to use for English Literacy and Civics Education programs.
The President's Reading First Initiative will receive $900 million, which is a substantial investment compared to funding for the Reading Excellence Act (REA) in FY 2001. This new initiative, which replaces the REA (PL 105-277), will provide formula grants to states to implement comprehensive reading instruction grounded in scientifically-based reading research for children in kindergarten through third grade.
The following chart shows the FY 2002 final funding levels, as well as the funding proposals recommended by the President, the House, and the Senate, and last year's final funding levels.
| Literacy Programs | Final Appropriations FY '02 | Senate Proposed FY '02 | House Proposed FY '02 | Presidents Proposed FY '02 | FY '01 |
|---|---|---|---|---|---|
| (dollars in millions) | |||||
| State Grants for Adult Education | 575 | 540 | 595 | 540 | 540 |
| National Leadership Activities | 9.5 | 9.5 | 9.5 | 9.5 | 14 |
| National Institute for Literacy | 6.56 | 6.56 | 6.56 | 6.56 | 6.5 |
| Reading Excellence Act | -- | -- | -- | -- | 286 | Reading First | 900 | 900 | 900 | 900 | -- |
| Early Reading First | 75 | 75 | 75 | 75 | -- |
| Even Start | 250 | 200 | 260 | 250 | 250 |
| 21st Century Community Learning Centers | 1,000 | 1,000 | 1,000 | 846 | 846 |
| Incarcerated Youth Offenders | 22 | 22 | 17 | 22 | 22 |
During the final weeks of the session, members of Congress and the White House spent many hours negotiating the final funding levels for literacy programs. Many of the final numbers matched the amounts proposed by the House and Senate.
PROGRAM DESCRIPTIONS
The State Grants for Adult Education program supports formula grants to the states to fund Adult Basic Education (ABE), Adult Secondary Education (ASE), and General Education Development (GED) programs, as well as adult education professional development. Of the $575 million appropriated for FY 2002, $70 million is set aside for English Literacy and Civic Education grants. To learn more about the EL/Civics program, read our Special Policy Update (Adobe Acrobat PDF file).
National Leadership Activities support research, demonstration, and evaluation projects. The final appropriation bill provides $9.5 million for national leadership activities, which is a 32 percent reduction from FY '01.
The National Institute for Literacy will receive a slight increase of $60,000 in FY '02. The Institute supports communication, capacity building, and policy analysis activities to ensure that all Americans with literacy needs have access to services that can help them gain the basic skills necessary for success in the workplace, family, and community in the 21st century.
A top priority of the President, the new Reading First State Grants will help states and local educational agencies implement comprehensive reading instruction grounded in scientifically-based reading research for children in kindergarten through third grade. Reading First replaces the Reading Excellence Act, and will more than triple funding for reading instruction - from $286 million in FY '01 to $900 million in FY '02.
Early Reading First State Grants will receive $75 million under the final appropriations bill. This new competitive grant will complement Reading First State Grants by supporting model programs to develop the academic readiness of preschool-aged children. Activities would support scientifically-based strategies to enhance pre-reading skills and school readiness for children in Head Start and other preschool programs.
Even Start funding supports local projects that blend early childhood education, parenting instruction, and adult education into a unified family literacy program. The final appropriations bill includes $250 million for Even Start, which is the same as FY '01 funding.
The 21st Century Community Learning Centers program supports formula grants to states, which then award subgrants to centers providing academic and related services for youth and other community members during after-school, weekend, and summer hours. Services may promote lifelong learning and literacy development.
More information on the FY'02 Federal Budget process is available at: