WASHINGTON – Today, Representative Chrissy Houlahan (D-PA) introduced her amendment to H.R. 2740, the Departments of Labor, Health and Human Services, and Education, and Related Agencies Appropriations Act, 2020. The amendment advocates for funding for the Department of Education’s Comprehensive Literacy Development Grants (LEARN program). The House adopted the Amendment into the bill by a vote of 333-86.

“The fight for a more literate America is crucial, and our inaction on this front is costing our country billions in productivity every year,” said Houlahan. “My amendment advocates for funding for the Department of Education’s Comprehensive Literacy Development Grants, the only federal funding stream to support statewide efforts to increase literacy levels. Every American child deserves a shot at his or her version of the American dream, and this requires a quality education. Not being able to read fluently and fluidly denies millions of children their shot at the promise of this country. We in Congress must aggressively advocate for and fund programs that are doing the critical work of increasing our national literacy levels. I am grateful that my colleagues joined me in passing this amendment and taking the important first step in a long overdue fight for a more literate, and by extension, more fair America for all.”

“I applaud Rep. Houlahan for backing the LEARN program, which provides important support to states to improve literacy, including family literacy,” said Sharon Darling, President & Founder of The National Center for Families Learning. “Evidence-based results from family literacy programs demonstrate that when the literacy rate of parents and their children rise, so do their opportunities for better jobs, and better paying jobs. An investment in the LEARN program is an investment in the success of Americans.”

“As a longtime educator and advocate for evidenced based literacy instruction, I applaud Rep. Houlahan's efforts to ensure funding for the Department of Education’s Comprehensive Literacy Development Grants (LEARN program),” said Monica McHale-Small, Ph.D., 1^st Vice President LDA of America and Director of Program Accreditation, International Dyslexia Association. “As Chrissy stated, literacy is an essential skill for meaningful participation in our society. Our nation's most recent NAEP scores demonstrate that far too many of our public-school students lack adequate literacy skills.  Poor literacy compromises the educational and economic standing of our country. Federal funding for improved literacy instruction and outcomes has never been more critical.”

“We are happy to stand with and support Rep. Houlahan with this important literacy initiative,” said Daphne Uliana, Founder of the Dyslexia and Literacy Network. “Learning to read should be an opportunity provided to all children. The LEARN program would be a great addition to what we have already started here in Pennsylvania with the Dyslexia and Early Literacy Screening Pilot Program, a program that provides early literacy screening and teacher training in evidence-based reading instructional strategies that are explicit, systematic, and sequential (Structured Literacy). Research confirms that a child who has not mastered reading by 3^rd grade almost never catches up.”

“As the nation’s leading voice for children’s literacy, Reading Is Fundamental is grateful for the leadership of Congresswoman Houlahan, who recognizes the critical importance of identifying and investing in literacy solutions,” said Alicia Levi, President & CEO of Reading Is Fundamental. “We need to focus our attention now more than ever on the nation’s literacy crisis and the workforce of tomorrow with 25 million children in the U.S. who cannot read proficiently. We see the Congresswoman’s comments as a call to action for literacy advocates across the country to join us to solve this problem and ensure every child in America has the opportunity that literacy provides.”

“Kudos to Representative Houlahan and her efforts on behalf of more comprehensive literacy programs,” said Diane Reott, Executive Director of the PA Branch of the International Dyslexia Association. “As the Executive Director of the International Dyslexia Association, PA (PBIDA), I have seen the impact of our work with the Read By 4th Campaign (Rb4th) in Philadelphia to improve literacy rates for all children. Through the collective impact of all the partners in the Rb4th campaign, the Philadelphia School District's PSSA's, between 2016 and 2018 (the most recent available), the percent of proficient third graders increased by 6% percentage points, and the percent of “below basic” third graders decreased by 8% percentage points.”

The LEARN program provides competitive grants to states to help local educational agencies develop comprehensive literacy plans to ensure high-quality instruction and evidence-based intervention strategies for all students from birth through grade 12. This program is the only federal funding stream to support these statewide efforts. This funding allows local school districts to support high-quality professional development for teachers, teacher leaders, principals, and specialized instructional support personnel to improve literacy instruction for struggling readers and writers, including English language learners and students with disabilities.

Rep. Houlahan’s floor speech introducing her amendment can be found here.

Houlahan is an Air Force veteran, an engineer, a serial entrepreneur, an educator, and a nonprofit leader. She’s in her first term representing Pennsylvania’s 6th Congressional District, which encompasses Chester County and southern Berks County. She serves on the House Armed Services Committee, the House Foreign Affairs Committee, and the House Small Business Committee.

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