Laura Bush, Department of Education Announce $19 Million Grant to Low-Income Schools

According to a Tuesday press release, First Lady Laura Bush and U.S. Secretary of Education Margaret Spellings visited Driggs Elementary School in Waterbury, Conn., where they announced that nearly $19 million in federal funds will be given to 78 low-income schools across the country to enhance the schools' libraries and promote literacy.

Driggs Elementary and the Waterbury Public Schools are among the recipients of the grant money. The press release says the grant will make it possible for Waterbury Public Schools to begin a new literacy project that involves more technology in the curriculum and the teaching methods themselves. Each of the Waterbury Title I elementary schools, of which there are 20, will be equipped with non-fiction books and materials, as well as upgraded and advanced technological systems. The schools' teachers and library media specialists will have the resources they need to work together in developing lessons for students that promote improved literacy and critical thinking.

The Department of Education release states the money for these grants is coming from an Improving Literacy Through School Libraries program. Secretary Spellings is quoted: "Reading enriches our lives and is the building block upon which all other learning is possible. These grants will help school libraries equip students with resources that build knowledge and foster a lifelong love of reading." First Lady Laura Bush is a former school teacher and librarian, thus her interest in student literacy.

The Laura Bush Foundation for America's Libraries website quotes Laura Bush in a 2002 statement: "School libraries help teachers teach and children learn. Children and teachers need library resources - especially books - and and the expertise of a librarian to succeed. Books, information technology, and school librarians who are part of the schools' professional team are basic ingredients for student achievement. A good library launches young children on a journey of exploration and discovery, teaching them how to ask questions and find answers. And the wonderful thing is that once you learn to use a library, the doors to learning are open to you throughout your life."

In the press release, First Lady Laura Bush added to Spellings' statement: "From Maine to California, these students from low-income communities will now have access to top-notch libraries. In every one of these school districts, the grants we are awarding today will help teachers, principals, and librarians encourage their students' love of books."

Every state has one or more school districts that will receive grant money through this program, which provides money to help schools build up and improve on their library media so that students have more opportunities to improve their reading skills and ultimately their test scores. The money can be used in a variety of ways, including facilitating Internet links and resource-sharing networks, increasing overall library materials, upgrading and adding to the schools' technological resources, expanding operational hours of the libraries, and increasing teachers' and media specialists' professional development or continuing education opportunities.

In summation, the press report states the program's ultimate goal is to improve students' reading achievement by emphasizing the importance of more and up-to-date resources so that "no child is left behind."

Source:

Press release, Secretary Spellings and Mrs. Laura Bush Announce Nearly $19 Million to Enhance Libraries in Low-Income Schools; http://www.ed.gov/news/pressreleases/2007/07/07242007.html

Laura Bush Foundation, Washington White House Conference on School Libraries Checks Out Lessons for Success; http://www.laurabushfoundation.org/release_060402.html