Press Releases

Congressman Jim McGovern (MA-02) applauded the strong bipartisan House passage today of the Conference Report on S. 1177, the Every Student Succeeds Act, which reauthorizes the Elementary and Secondary Education Act. Congressman McGovern welcomed the inclusion of provisions authorizing through 2020 the Innovative Approaches to Literacy (IAL), an early literacy grant program he has championed.

In 2011, Congressman McGovern worked with Representatives Eddie Bernice Johnson (D-TX) and Don Young (R-AK), and Senators Jack Reed (D-RI), Debbie Stabenow (D-MI), Chuck Grassley (R-IA), and Roger Wicker (R-MS) to establish the IAL grant program during the FY12 appropriations process and helped to secure $28.6 million for the program.

“With the strong bipartisan passage of this bill, Congress has taken an important step to ensure that students in Massachusetts and across the country have access to a quality education and the important resources and opportunities they need to succeed.

“As the lead sponsor of H.R. 523, the Prescribe a Book Act, I am thrilled that the Every Student Succeeds Act incorporates language from that legislation to authorize federal funding for pediatric early literacy promotion. 

“Reading to children at an early age is essential to giving them the strong start they need to succeed. All across the country, early literacy programs like Reach Out and Read are helping to make that possible and help them achieve their full potential. I am grateful for the strong bipartisan leadership to reauthorize the Elementary and Secondary Education Act and the literacy program that is preparing our students for a brighter future.”

Congressman McGovern visited a Reach Out and Read program in Webster, Massachusetts in October. Reach Out and Read is an evidence-based non-profit organization that operates through a network of 21,000 medical providers, serving 4.5 million children through 5,500 medical clinics in all 50 states, and distributes 6.5 million books annually. Click here to read more about the program.

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