With the growing calls for reauthorization of the Elementary and Secondary Education Act, we are starting to see movement on Capitol Hill – and literacy education is taking center stage.

On Thursday, the Early Childhood, Elementary and Secondary Education Subcommittee of the House Committee on Education and Labor held a hearing titled Improving the Literacy Skills of Children and Young Adults.

NCFL Advisory Board Member Dr. Dorothy Strickland, Professor Emeritus, Rutgers University, testified and spoke persuasively about the importance of family literacy and family involvement.

To view the webcast of this hearing visit: http://edlabor.house.gov/hearings/2009/11/improving-the-literacy-skills.shtml

The stage was set for this hearing earlier this month when the Literacy for All, Results for the Nation (LEARN) Act was introduced (S. 2740/H.R. 4037). This legislation would support comprehensive state and local literacy initiatives to ensure that children from birth through 12th grade have the reading and writing skills necessary for success in school and beyond. The critical role parents play in their child’s language and literacy development is addressed throughout this legislation.Primary Senate sponsors are Senators Murray (WA), Brown (OH), and Franken (MN) and primary House sponsors are Yarmuth (KY-3), Polis (CO-2), and Miller (CA-7).