*Below are funding requests to the Appropriations Committee.  Funding for these projects has not been secured.

Education for Democracy Act - Center for Civic Education - $26,635,625

5145 Douglas Fir Road Calabasas, CA  91302

The Education for Democracy Act programs are among the most cost effective programs supported by the federal government. They effectively promote among students a profound understanding of and commitment to the fundamental values and principles of American constitutional democracy as expressed in such seminal documents as the Declaration of Independence, the Constitution and Bill of Rights, and the Gettysburg Address. They also promote students' capacities to participate competently and responsibility in the political life of their communities and the nation. Civic education/democracy will be critical with globalization of the economy. Students will need to not only understand the American system but international democracies as well. Through the We the People programs every congressional district receives free sets of specialized textbooks for their schools at the upper elementary, middle and high school levels. Teachers benefit from professional development seminars and institutes to improve their content knowledge and teaching methods. A network of dedicated volunteers administers each program locally, adapting the program to their local needs and leveraging the federal funding with additional amounts at the state and local level in support of the program. The School Violence Prevention Demonstration Program (SVPDP) provides valuable staff training to improve civic responsibility and promote positive attitudes. The Native American Initiative, administered as a part of the SVPDP, provides civic education programs and assistance to Native American schools. The High Needs Initiative is reaching out to students in schools that serve high percentages of socio-economically disadvantaged students and those experiencing attendance or truancy problems. The Civitas International program provides for a series of exchanges among American educators from more than 30 U.S. states and District of Columbia with civic education leaders in more than 70 emerging and established democracies worldwide. This unique network of educators, civil society organizations, educational institutions, and governmental agencies has worked for more than a decade to develop quality curricular materials and train teachers throughout Eastern Europe, the former Soviet Union, Africa, Asia, Latin America and the Caribbean, and the Middle East. In addition, U.S. and international educators collaborate on the development of lessons in comparative government for U.S. students. A number of research studies have testified to the positive impact of all of these programs on student civic knowledge, skills, and dispositions. Additional information on all of the programs and the research evidence is available at www.civiced.org. 

Education for Democracy Act - Council For Economic Education - $5,018,625

122 East 42 Street, Suite 2600 New York, NY 10168

The Economic Education Exchange Program administered by the Council for Economic Education involves teachers from 47 states and the District of Columbia, and has helped students in more than 40 emerging democracies understand the principles and institutions of a market economy and their relationship to democracy.  This is accomplished through intensive professional development programs that bring educators from K-12 schools and institutions of higher education in the US together with educators in these emerging democracies in communities in the United States and eligible countries. Innovative curriculum that has proven highly effective in teaching the principles of market economies has been developed and translated into appropriate languages by teams of writers from the US and participating countries. More specifically this involves professional development opportunities for educators in eligible countries (a Training of Trainers program which supports the development of a cadre of trained individuals who will train teachers in their home countries); for U.S. K-12 classroom teachers (seminars on globalization and other economic topics); and for educators  from the eligible countries and the U.S. (a Training of Writers program that provides systematic training on writing instructional materials in economics for teachers). CEE offers exchange activities (study tours to eligible countries for U.S. classroom teachers and study tours to the United States for educators from eligible countries) and supports “capacity building” activities that build on training provided by CEE and which support the development of economic education practices, programs, and delivery systems in eligible countries.  Instructional materials have been developed for U.S. classrooms (nine publications) and CEE materials have been translated into 18 languages.

The Economic Education Exchange Program administered by the Council for Economic Education involves teachers from 47 states and the District of Columbia, and has helped students in more than 40 emerging democracies understand the principles and institutions of a market economy and their relationship to democracy.  This is accomplished through intensive professional development programs that bring educators from K-12 schools and institutions of higher education in the US together with educators in these emerging democracies in communities in the United States and eligible countries. Innovative curriculum that has proven highly effective in teaching the principles of market economies has been developed and translated into appropriate languages by teams of writers from the US and participating countries. More specifically this involves professional development opportunities for educators in eligible countries (a Training of Trainers program which supports the development of a cadre of trained individuals who will train teachers in their home countries); for U.S. K-12 classroom teachers (seminars on globalization and other economic topics); and for educators  from the eligible countries and the U.S. (a Training of Writers program that provides systematic training on writing instructional materials in economics for teachers). CEE offers exchange activities (study tours to eligible countries for U.S. classroom teachers and study tours to the United States for educators from eligible countries) and supports “capacity building” activities that build on training provided by CEE and which support the development of economic education practices, programs, and delivery systems in eligible countries.  Instructional materials have been developed for U.S. classrooms (nine publications) and CEE materials have been translated into 18 languages.

National Writing Project - $26,200,000

2105 Bancroft Way, #1042, Berkeley, CA 94720

To fund programs in teacher development, quality writing, and research to help improve student performance in writing.

NWP provides support for a national infrastructure of more than 200 writing projects sites that serve their local schools and teaching communities with high-quality teacher professional development in all 50 states, the District of Columbia, Puerto Rico, and the U.S. Virgin Islands.

Reach Out and Read National Center - $10,000,000

56 Roland Street, Suite 100 D, Boston, MA 02129

Reach Out and Read (ROR) is a national program that promotes literacy and language development in infants and young children, targeting disadvantaged and poor children and families.

Reach Out and Read has been proven to be among the most effective strategies to promote early language and literacy development and school readiness: pediatricians and other healthcare providers guide and encourage parents to read aloud to their children from their earliest years of their life, and send them home from each regular checkup with a new book and a prescription to read together.  Reach Out and Read is a national evidence-based school readiness initiative that promotes literacy and language development in infants and preschoolers, targeting children and families living in poverty and under-performing school districts.  Fourteen peer-reviewed, published research studies spanning the last two decades clearly demonstrate the impact of the Reach Out and Read model and the importance of promoting early language and literacy skills in preparing children to excel in school.  Today, Reach Out and Read serves 3.8 million children annually, but millions more children nationwide do not receive the necessary support and assistance they need to develop these critical skills and enter kindergarten ready to learn.  Funding provided by Congress through the U.S. Department of Education has been matched by tens of millions of dollars from the private sector and state governments.

Reading is Fundamental - $25,000,000

1825 Connecticut Ave. NW, Washington, DC 20009

The funding would be used for purposes authorized in Section 5451 of the Elementary and Secondary Education Act.

Funding will be used for purposes authorized in Section 5451 of the Elementary and Secondary Education Act.  Reading Is Fundamental enhances child literacy by providing millions of underserved children with free books for personal ownership and reading encouragement from the more than 18,000 locations throughout all fifty states, Washington, D.C., Guam, Puerto Rico, and the U.S. Virgin Islands.