LITERACY PARTNERSHIPS THAT WORK 

HEARING

BEFORE THE 

SUBCOMMITTEE ON EDUCATION REFORM 

OF THE 

COMMITTEE ON EDUCATION AND 

THE WORKFORCE 

HOUSE OF REPRESENTATIVES

ONE HUNDRED SEVENTH CONGRESS

SECOND SESSION

HEARING HELD IN WASHINGTON, DC, OCTOBER 8, 2002 

Serial No. 107-82 

Printed for the use of the Committee on Education 

and the Workforce

83-203 pdf 

For sale by the Superintendent of Documents, U.S. Government Printing Office 

Internet: bookstore.gpo.gov Phone: (866) 512-1800; DC area (202) 512-1800 

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ii

COMMITTEE ON EDUCATION AND THE WORKFORCE 

JOHN A. BOEHNER, Ohio, Chairman 

THOMAS E. PETRI, Wisconsin GEORGE MILLER, California 

MARGE ROUKEMA, New Jersey DALE E. KILDEE, Michigan 

CASS BALLENGER, North Carolina MAJOR R. OWENS, New York 

PETER HOEKSTRA, Michigan DONALD M. PAYNE, New Jersey 

HOWARD P. “BUCK” McKEON, California ROBERT E. ANDREWS, New Jersey 

MICHAEL N. CASTLE, Delaware TIM ROEMER, Indiana 

SAM JOHNSON, Texas ROBERT C. “BOBBY” SCOTT, Virginia 

JAMES C. GREENWOOD, Pennsylvania LYNN C. WOOLSEY, California 

LINDSEY O. GRAHAM, South Carolina LYNN N. RIVERS, Michigan 

MARK E. SOUDER, Indiana RUBEN HINOJOSA, Texas 

CHARLIE W. NORWOOD, JR., Georgia CAROLYN McCARTHY, New York 

BOB SCHAFFER, Colorado JOHN F. TIERNEY, Massachusetts 

FRED UPTON, Michigan RON KIND, Wisconsin 

VAN HILLEARY, Tennessee LORETTA SANCHEZ, California 

VERNON J. EHLERS, Michigan HAROLD E. FORD, JR., Tennessee 

THOMAS G. TANCREDO, Colorado DENNIS KUCINICH, Ohio 

JIM DeMINT, South Carolina DAVID WU, Oregon 

JOHNNY ISAKSON, Georgia RUSH D. HOLT, New Jersey 

BOB GOODLATTE, Virginia HILDA L. SOLIS, California 

JUDY BIGGERT, Illinois SUSAN DAVIS, California 

TODD RUSSELL PLATTS, Pennsylvania BETTY McCOLLUM, Minnesota 

PATRICK J. TIBERI, Ohio VACANCY 

 RIC KELLER, Florida 

 TOM OSBORNE, Nebraska 

 JOHN ABNEY CULBERSON, Texas 

 JOE WILSON, South Carolina 

 Paula Nowakowski, Chief of Staff 

 John Lawrence, Minority Staff Director

 SUBCOMMITTEE ON EDUCATION REFORM 

 MICHAEL N. CASTLE, Delaware, Chairman

BOB SCHAFFER, Colorado, Vice Chairman DALE E. KILDEE, Michigan 

THOMAS E. PETRI, Wisconsin ROBERT C. “BOBBY” SCOTT, Virginia 

MARGE ROUKEMA, New Jersey LYNN C. WOOLSEY, California 

JAMES C. GREENWOOD, Pennsylvania RUBEN HINOJOSA, Texas 

MARK E. SOUDER, Indiana CAROLYN McCARTHY, New York 

FRED UPTON, Michigan LORETTA SANCHEZ, California 

VAN HILLEARY, Tennessee HAROLD E. FORD, Jr., Tennessee 

VERNON J. EHLERS, Michigan HILDA L. SOLIS, California 

THOMAS G. TANCREDO, Colorado SUSAN DAVIS, California 

JIM DeMINT, South Carolina MAJOR R. OWENS, New York 

JUDY BIGGERT, Illinois DONALD M. PAYNE, New Jersey 

TODD RUSSELL PLATTS, Pennsylvania TIM ROEMER, Indiana 

RIC KELLER, Florida RON KIND, Wisconsin 

TOM OSBORNE, Nebraska DENNIS J. KUCINICH, Ohio 

JOHN ABNEY CULBERSON, Texas 

JOE WILSON, South Carolina 
iii

TABLE OF CONTENTS 

TABLE OF CONTENTS................................................................................................................. i 

OPENING STATEMENT OF CHAIRMAN MICHAEL N. CASTLE, SUBCOMMITTEE ON 

EDUCATION REFORM, COMMITTEE ON EDUCATION AND THE WORKFORCE, U.S. 

HOUSE OF REPRESENTATIVES, WASHINGTON, D.C.......................................................... 1 

OPENING STATEMENT OF CHAIRMAN JOHN A. BOEHNER, COMMITTEE ON 

EDUCATION AND THE WORKFORCE, U.S. HOUSE OF REPRESENTATIVES, 

WASHINGTON, D.C..................................................................................................................... 3 

OPENING STATEMENT OF RANKING MINORITY MEMBER DALE E. KILDEE, 

SUBCOMMITTEE ON EDUCATION REFORM, COMMITTEE ON EDUCATION AND THE 

WORKFORCE, U.S. HOUSE OF REPRESENTATIVES, WASHINGTON, D.C. ..................... 4 

OPENING STATEMENT OF REPRESENATIVE DONALD M. PAYNE, SUBCOMMITTEE 

ON EDUCATION REFORM, COMMITTEE ON EDUCATION AND THE WORKFORCE, 

U.S. HOUSE OF REPRESENTATIVES, WASHINGTON, D.C.................................................. 5 

STATEMENT OF MR. JAMES EARL JONES, NATIONAL LITERACY SPOKESMAN, 

VERIZON, WASHINGTON, D.C. ................................................................................................ 7 

STATEMENT OF MR. RALPH KUEBLER, EXECUTIVE VICE PRESIDENT, MBNA 

FOUNDATION, WILMINGTON, DELAWARE ....................................................................... 11 

STATEMENT OF MRS. MARY BELLE ESCAMILLA, MEMBER, EVEN START 

PROGRAM, AND PARENT, WASHINGTON D.C................................................................... 12 

STATEMENT OF MR. MIKE RAWLINGS, PRESIDENT, PIZZA HUT, INC., DALLAS, 

TEXAS.......................................................................................................................................... 13 

STATEMENT OF MS. JUDITH STOIA, EXECUTIVE PRODUCER OF "BETWEEN THE 

LIONS," BOSTON, MASSACHUSETTS, ACCOMPANIED BY THEO THE LION .............. 15 

APPENDIX A -- WRITTEN OPENING STATEMENT OF CHAIRMAN MICHAEL N. 

CASTLE, SUBCOMMITTEE ON EDUCATION REFORM, COMMITTEE ON EDUCATION 

AND THE WORKFORCE, U.S. HOUSE OF REPRESENTATIVES, WASHINGTON, D.C. . 33 

APPENDIX B -- WRITTEN OPENING STATEMENT OF RANKING MINORITY MEMBER 

DALE E. KILDEE, SUBCOMMITTEE ON EDUCATION REFORM, COMMITTEE ON 

EDUCATION AND THE WORKFORCE, U.S. HOUSE OF REPRESENTATIVES, 

WASHINGTON, D.C................................................................................................................... 37 
iv

APPENDIX C -- WRITTEN OPENING STATEMENT OF REPRESENTATIVE DONALD M. 

PAYNE, SUBCOMMITTEE ON EDUCATION REFORM, COMMITTEE ON EDUCATION 

AND THE WORKFORCE, U.S. HOUSE OF REPRESENTATIVES, WASHINGTON, D.C. . 41 

APPENDIX D -- WRITTEN STATEMENT OF MR. JAMES EARL JONES, NATIONAL 

LITERACY SPOKESMAN, VERIZON, WASHINGTON, D.C. ............................................... 45 

APPENDIX E -- WRITTEN STATEMENT OF MR. IVAN SEIDENBERG, PRESIDENT AND 

CHIEF EXECUTIVE OFFICER, VERIZON, WASHINGTON, D.C......................................... 53 

APPENDIX F -- WRITTEN STATEMENT OF MR. RALPH KUEBLER, EXECUTIVE VICE 

PRESIDENT, MBNA FOUNDATION, WILMINGTON, DELAWARE................................... 61 

APPENDIX G -- WRITTEN STATEMENT OF MR. MIKE RAWLINGS, PRESIDENT, PIZZA 

HUT, INC., DALLAS, TEXAS.................................................................................................... 71 

APPENDIX H -- WRITTEN STATEMENT OF MS. JUDITH STOIA, EXECUTIVE 

PRODUCER OF "BETWEEN THE LIONS," BOSTON, MASSACHUSETTS, 

ACCOMPANIED BY THEO THE LION.................................................................................... 79 

APPENDIX I -- WRITTEN INFORMATION SUBMITTED FOR THE RECORD BY MR. 

IVAN SEIDENBERG, PRESIDENT AND CHIEF EXECUTIVE OFFICER, VERIZON, 

WASHINGTON, D.C................................................................................................................... 89 

APPENDIX J -- WRITTEN STATEMENT SUBMITTED FOR THE RECORD BY 

REPRESENTATIVE HILDA L. SOLIS, SUBCOMMITTEE ON EDUCATION REFORM, 

COMMITTEE ON EDUCATION AND THE WORKFORCE, U.S. HOUSE OF 

REPRESENTATIVES, WASHINGTON, D.C. ........................................................................... 93 

TABLE OF INDEXES ................................................................................................................. 96 
1

LITERACY PARTNERSHIPS THAT WORK 

________________________________

TUESDAY, OCTOBER 8, 2002

SUBCOMMITTEE ON EDUCATION REFORM,

COMMITTEE ON EDUCATION AND THE WORKFORCE 

U.S. HOUSE OF REPRESENTATIVES

WASHINGTON, D.C.

 The subcommittee met, pursuant to call, at 10 a.m., in Room 2175, Rayburn House Office 

Building, Hon. Mike Castle [chairman of the subcommittee] Presiding. 

 Present: Representatives Castle, Ehlers, Biggert, Osborne, Culberson, Wilson, Kildee, 

Scott, Woolsey, Hinojosa, McCarthy, Davis, Payne, Kind, and Holt. 

 Also Present: Representatives Boehner, Johnson, and Isakson. 

 Staff Present: Julian Baer, Legislative Assistant; Alexa Callin, Communications Staff 

Assistant; Sally Lovejoy, Director of Education and Human Resources Policy; Patrick Lyden, 

Professional Staff Member; Maria Miller, Coalitions Director for Education Policy; Deborah L. 

Samantar, Committee Clerk/Intern Coordinator; Jo-Marie St. Martin, General Counsel; Bob Sweet, 

Professional Staff Member; Heather Valentine, Press Secretary; Liz Wheel, Legislative Assistant; 

Mark Zuckerman, Minority General Counsel; Maggie McDow, Minority Legislative 

Associate/Education; Alex Nock, Minority Legislative Associate/Education; and Joe Novotny, 

Minority Staff Assistant/Education. 

OPENING STATEMENT OF CHAIRMAN MICHAEL N. CASTLE, 

SUBCOMMITTEE ON EDUCATION REFORM, COMMITTEE ON 

EDUCATION AND THE WORKFORCE, U.S. HOUSE OF 

REPRESENTATIVES, WASHINGTON, D.C.

Chairman Castle. A quorum being present, the subcommittee will come to order. We are 

meeting today to hear testimony on literacy partnerships that work. Under committee rule 12(b), 

opening statements are limited to the Chairman and the Ranking Minority Member of the 
2

subcommittee. Therefore, if other members have statements, they may be included in the hearing 

record.

 With that, I ask unanimous consent for the hearing record to remain open 14 days to allow 

member statements and other extraneous material referenced during the hearing to be submitted in 

the official hearing record. Without objection, so ordered. 

 We will start with my opening statement. 

 Let me first say good morning to everybody. I am pleased to welcome you to the Education 

Reform Subcommittee's hearing on literacy partnerships that work. Today, more than 21 percent of 

our adult populations, which is more than 40 million Americans over the age of 16, have only 

rudimentary reading and writing skills. Another 22 percent cannot fill out a job application, follow 

a prescription, or even read a simple children's story. 

 Too many adults do not have the skills to find and keep a job, support their child's 

education, or participate actively in civic life. Worse, I have been told by people who have not 

been given the time or attention to learn to read that it is a horribly humiliating and frustrating 

experience. Reading is such a fundamental skill that many of us take it for granted. However, we 

now know that reading is a skill that does not come naturally. For children who don't learn to read, 

an early educational stumble can easily translate into a lifelong learning disability. In fact, of the 

10 to 15 percent of children who will eventually drop out of high school, over 75 percent will 

report difficulties learning to read. In addition, surveys of adolescents and young adults with 

criminal records indicate that at least half have reading difficulties. Fortunately, children who are 

at risk for reading failure can learn to read at average or above levels if they are identified early and 

provided with intensive instruction. 

 For that reason, the recently enacted No Child Left Behind education reform law includes a 

new Early Reading First Program, which will enhance reading readiness for children ages 3 

through 5. It also includes a new Reading First Program that will help ensure that all children can 

read by the end of third grade. 

 During the extensive negotiations on the new bipartisan education reform law, I was 

pleased that business groups, recognizing their own demand for knowledgeable and talented staff, 

came out in strong support for our efforts to improve student achievement for all children, 

regardless of their challenge or disability. As we all know, education is not just the responsibility 

of our federal, state, and local governments; it is our collective responsibility. Whether it is a 

parent reading to a child or a business reaching out to those in need in their community, we all have 

a role to play in helping people who lack literacy skills overcome their difficulties. 

 I want to thank all of you here today for your interest, and this panel in particular for your 

efforts to draw the public's attention to the problem of illiteracy. 

 When we announced our plans to hold a hearing on this topic, we were overwhelmed with 

requests from associations, organizations, businesses, and others who wanted to testify. While we 

could not accommodate everyone, I do want to acknowledge those present in our audience today 
3

who have used their celebrity status to promote literacy, including Dick Enberg, CBS sportscaster. 

Where is Dick? Dick, why don't you stand? There he is. Also here is Chris Thorpe, our silver 

medalist in the luge; Lee Ann Parsley, our silver medalist in the skeleton; and Mike Kohn, our 

bronze medalist in the bobsled. Mike, if you could stand. We really do thank all of you and 

appreciate your being here. 

 Less well recognized but no less appreciated are those of you who work in the frontlines, 

combating the problem of illiteracy. Again, there are simply too many to name here, but I would 

like to single out the National Institute for Literacy for their efforts. 

 I thank you all for your efforts to take your own ability and give to others the gift of 

literacy. Unleashing the potential of these children and these adults is a wonderful thing to do. I 

am pleased for the opportunity to highlight all literacy efforts, from the Office of the First Lady to 

our community efforts in states like Delaware. 

 In a moment I will proceed with the introduction of our distinguished panel. In another 

moment, I will yield to the Ranking Member, Dale Kildee. But before we do that, I would yield to 

the Chairman of the full education committee, Mr. John Boehner. 

WRITTEN OPENING STATEMENT OF CHAIRMAN MICHAEL N. CASTLE, 

SUBCOMMITTEE ON EDUCATION REFORM, COMMITTEE ON EDUCATION AND THE 

WORKFORCE, U.S. HOUSE OF REPRESENTATIVES, WASHINGTON, D.C.—APPENDIX A 

OPENING STATEMENT OF CHAIRMAN JOHN A. BOEHNER, 

COMMITTEE ON EDUCATION AND THE WORKFORCE, U.S. HOUSE OF 

REPRESENTATIVES, WASHINGTON, D.C.

Chairman Boehner. Mr. Castle, thank you for yielding time. Let me thank all of you who have 

come today to testify on this very important subject. I thank all of you, as the Chairman has 

already, for your work in helping to combat illiteracy in America. 

 As the Chairman pointed out, there are some 40 million Americans who have little to no 

reading skills. We as a society and we as a country can't continue successfully unless our citizens 

are educated. Last year, we were negotiating the No Child Left Behind Act, which brings a great 

deal of focus into early childhood reading. During that time I had to remind some of our 

colleagues that it is not the fault of those children who grow up in a rotten household or a rotten 

neighborhood. We as a society have a responsibility to ensure that these children get a chance at a 

good education. 

 One of the things that we have all learned through this process over the last several years is 

that every child can learn. Our responsibility is to ensure that every child has a chance to learn. 

For those of you who are dealing with adult illiteracy, let me congratulate you. We have spent a lot 

of time here on this committee during the last several years trying to focus efforts to ensure that we 

don't add to those numbers. With this new reading program, we also want to ensure that all 
4

children will be able to read by the end of the third grade. 

 So let me just say congratulations to all of you for your fine work. Thank you for being 

here. I look forward to your testimony. 

Chairman Castle. Thank you, Chairman Boehner.

Now, for whatever statement he may wish to make, I will yield to Ranking Member Dale 

Kildee, whose interest in education is a legend built over many decades. 

OPENING STATEMENT OF RANKING MINORITY MEMBER DALE E. 

KILDEE, SUBCOMMITTEE ON EDUCATION REFORM, COMMITTEE ON 

EDUCATION AND THE WORKFORCE, U.S. HOUSE OF 

REPRESENTATIVES, WASHINGTON, D.C.

Mr. Kildee. Thank you. You are very kind. Having been a former teacher myself, I want to thank 

you for holding the hearing this morning. I apologize for being late. I will be running in and out, 

since I have a mark up on 20 bills in the Resources Committee. Resource is the other committee I 

serve on, but I wanted to be here today. This is a very important topic. 

 I think we all recognize that up to the third grade, a child learns to read. After that, they 

read to learn. If they haven't learned to read well by the third grade, then they aren't going to be 

able to read to learn after that. We can do some remediation, but very often that remediation is 

inadequate. So it is very important that by the end of the third grade they are reading, and that they 

are skillful readers. Otherwise, they will not be able to read to learn. 

 It is also important to note that in this country we have adults who have literacy problems. I 

can recall, about 20 years ago, when they were rebuilding the Buick plant in Flint. They thought 

about closing it down, but they had to retrain the workers. They found many of the workers 

actually didn't need training in computer science. They actually needed literacy training. That is 

very important. We have to address this issue. There are adults who try to hide the fact that they 

are not highly literate or are hardly literate at all. 

 I believe that this committee wants to address both of these groups. Both to make sure that 

our children have learned to read by the end of the third grade and to help our adults achieve 

literacy.

 Mr. Chairman, I will submit my entire statement into the record. However, I would like to 

yield the balance of my time, with your indulgence, to the gentleman from New Jersey, Mr. Payne. 

WRITTEN OPENING STATEMENT OF RANKING MINORITY MEMBER DALE E. KILDEE, 

SUBCOMMITTEE ON EDUCATION REFORM, COMMITTEE ON EDUCATION AND THE 

WORKFORCE, U.S. HOUSE OF REPRESENTATIVES, WASHINGTON, D.C. – APPENDIX B 
5

OPENING STATEMENT OF REPRESENATIVE DONALD M. PAYNE, 

SUBCOMMITTEE ON EDUCATION REFORM, COMMITTEE ON 

EDUCATION AND THE WORKFORCE, U.S. HOUSE OF 

REPRESENTATIVES, WASHINGTON, D.C. 

Mr. Payne. Thank you very much, Mr. Kildee. I would like to commend you also for your many 

years of work as a former teacher. I find that this question of literacy is so important. 

 Back in 1989, the first bill that I introduced to Members was to establish a National 

Literacy Day. It won overwhelmingly, and July 2nd was then proclaimed National Literacy Day. 

We then moved forward to the establishment of the National Literacy Institute here in Washington, 

D.C., which is the clearinghouse for the promotion of literacy nationwide. We also encouraged 

States to set up State literacy councils. We had a very active council in New Jersey, with Governor 

Florio at the time, who appointed his wife as the leader of literacy. 

 I think it is something, as has been indicated, that over 40 million Americans are illiterate. 

The number is increasing because of new Americans who are coming into the country. I think it is 

really good to see outstanding people like the athletes and presidents of corporations that have 

volunteered their time, especially today with the Dow going the way it is. However, I don't want to 

get into that, I know you have other issues before you, but it is wonderful to see you here. Also, as 

a former high school football and track coach while teaching at Newark, it is great to see people 

that young people look up to, our athletes, our Olympians, come forward. 

 Finally, I would like to really mention a program that I worked on in close cooperation with 

two partners, Sesame Street Workshop and the Prudential Foundation. Prudential headquarters are 

also in Newark, New Jersey. We have seen programs like this have such an impact in 20 different 

countries when Sesame Street goes before children, trying to encourage them to read. 

 I would like to commend Chairman Castle for calling this very important hearing. I would 

like to also thank each and every one of you who have come out this morning. It is an important 

issue. Together we can defeat illiteracy if we work together. Thank you very much. 

 Thank you, Mr. Kildee, for yielding. 

WRITTEN OPENING STATEMENT OF DONALD M. PAYNE, SUBCOMMITTEE ON 

EDUCATION REFORM, COMMITTEE ON EDUCATION AND THE WORKFORCE, U.S. 

HOUSE OF REPRESENTATIVES, WASHINGTON, D.C. – APPENDIX C 

Chairman Castle. Thank you, Mr. Payne, and thank you, Mr. Kildee. 

 We will turn to our witnesses, and I will explain the ground rules briefly. I will introduce 

each of you. Actually, one person will be introduced by another panel member. Then you will 

each have 5 minutes in which to speak. There are lights on the table. It is green for 4 minutes, 

yellow for 1 minute, and red for thereafter. Red, theoretically, is the end of it, and at some point 

we might bang the gavel, but I don't know. I think with Mr. Jones I won't bang the gavel at all. He 
6

is on his own. Then, after that, it is over. 

 We will each take turns of 5 minutes in which we are supposed to fit in our questions and 

your answers. That is the format in which we will be moving forward. 

 Let many introduce our witnesses, starting with Mr. Jones. Mr. James Earl Jones, of 

course, is one of America's most distinguished and versatile actors. He has had a successful career 

in film, television, and on the stage. He is best known to many as the voice of Darth Vader and 

CNN, as well as a national literacy spokesman for Verizon. He has received numerous honors, 

including the National Medal of Arts and Honorary doctorates from Yale, Princeton, and Columbia 

Universities. 

 I know that doesn't do total justice to your career, but that is all we have time for right now. 

 Mr. Ivan Seidenberg is the president and Chief Executive Officer of Verizon. Mr. 

Seidenberg has a longstanding commitment to education and is a proponent of connecting students 

and teachers to technology. He strongly advocated a special rate to connect schools and libraries to 

the Internet. He also serves on the boards of the New York Hall of Science and Pace University. 

Mr. Ralph Kuebler is the Executive Vice President for the MBNA Foundation in 

Wilmington, Delaware. He currently manages the overall administration of community education 

initiatives within the MBNA Foundation, a nonprofit organization dedicated to improving the 

quality of education. Previously, he has served as strategic manager and as a group manager in 

product development for MBNA. Mr. Kuebler has served on the boards of the Center for the 

Creative Arts, the Juvenile Diabetes Foundation of Delaware, and the Business Education 

Partnership for the Delaware State Chamber of Commerce. 

 I will yield to Mr. Johnson for the introduction of Mr. Rawlings. 

Mr. Johnson. Thank you, Mr. Chairman. I appreciate the opportunity to be with you today. As 

you know, Mr. Rawlings has served as president and Chief Concept Officer for the Dallas-based 

Pizza Hut since June 7, 1997. Under his leadership, overall operating profit has doubled and 

margins have improved to record highs. He was a letterman at Boston College, so I guess that 

qualifies him for the Olympics, right? In fact in 1999, Dallas' D Magazine recognized Pizza Hut's 

progress under Mr. Rawlings' leadership, and named Pizza Hut the best company to work for in 

Dallas. I can assure you, based on the size and number of companies in Dallas, that is nothing 

short of a Texas-sized compliment. 

 As you know, Pizza Hut currently employs 200,000 people nationwide; 566 actually live in 

my congressional district. Mr. Rawlings' commitment hasn't stopped at just focusing on the people 

of Pizza Hut, but has caused a turnaround in the company's culture. Because of his focus, Pizza 

Hut's BOOK IT! program truly has become a literacy partnership that works. I am pleased to say 

that Pizza Hut has made it possible for 101 classrooms in my congressional district to have a 

national reading incentive program. 
7

 Thank you, Mr. Rawlings. We appreciate your guidance and the help with your BOOK IT! 

Program. I thank you so much for being here today. 

Chairman Castle. Thank you, Sam. 

 Let me go back to Mrs. Mary Belle Escamilla. She and her family have participated in 

Columbia's Even Start program for 2-1/2 years. Mrs. Escamilla has obtained her GED, and Mr. 

Escamilla, who is also with us today, is now working towards his real estate license. They are 

accompanied by their 2-1/2-year-old son, and actually the reason we are here is to educate that son, 

Gustavo Arturo Escamilla. We are delighted to have all of you here. 

 Finally we will have Ms. Judith Stoia, who is executive producer of the PBS children's 

series "Between the Lions." Today Theo the Lion accompanies her. Previously, Ms. Stoia worked 

at WCVB TV, the ABC affiliate in Boston, where she created a nightly news magazine, Chronicle. 

At ABC, she became executive producer and oversaw documentaries, Presidential debates, a 

children's series, and after-school specials. She is the recipient of numerous awards, including 

Emmys, Gabriels, and Peabodys. We welcome you, Ms. Stoia. 

 With those introductions complete, we will go to our witnesses. Please get the microphones 

as close to you as you can so the whole room can hear. 

Chairman Castle. Mr. Jones, we will start with you, sir. 

STATEMENT OF MR. JAMES EARL JONES, NATIONAL LITERACY 

SPOKESMAN, VERIZON, WASHINGTON, D.C. 

Mr. Jones. I want to thank you, Chairman Boehner, Chairman Castle, Congressman Kildee, and 

members of the committee, for inviting me here and giving me the opportunity to have this 

unlimited and ungaveled time to talk with you. I promise I will not abuse it. 

 You have asked me to speak about literacy today, and I could not be more proud of my 

association with an exceptional company like Verizon. As its company spokesperson, I have had a 

chance to see how passionate they are about literacy and how strongly they are committed to be 

America's literacy champion. My role as Verizon's spokesperson gives me the opportunity to be a 

literacy advocate and travel across America, reading to children and talking to them about the 

importance of books in their lives. It is by far one of the most enjoyable things that I do. 

 Creating a more literate society is a responsibility that falls on every person who can read.

Verizon's focus on literacy makes that job easier for many people, and I know it is deeply 

appreciated by the Nation's leading literacy providers and by local literacy agencies and volunteers 

all across the country. 

 Ninety-two million Americans have low or very low literacy skills. That means they cannot 

read above the sixth-grade level. To be illiterate in America, or anywhere for that matter, is to be 

unsafe, uncomfortable, and unprotected. For the illiterate, despair and defeat serve as daily fare. A 
8

world of uncertainty rises anew with every word they confront in black and white. 

 Can any of us who do know how to read really understand the sadness that is associated 

with the inability to read? Can we understand the silent humiliation that always attends it, the quiet 

desperation that can't really be expressed, and the hundreds of ways that those who cannot read 

struggle in shame to keep their secret? While most of us in this room cannot possibly understand 

fully the anguish of those who cannot read, I can, because it affected my family. 

 Parthenia Connolly was my great, great grandmother. She made her way to this country 

from Ireland before the Civil War. She indentured herself as a servant and ended up in Mississippi, 

where she met and eventually married my great-great-grandfather, Brice. 

 I mention her because Parthenia lived in a very different age, an age where because she 

dared to teach a black man to read, she was a criminal in the eyes of the law. The man she taught, 

her husband, Brice, a black man who had the audacity to learn how to read, was guiltier than she 

was and subject to the harshest punishment if his secret was known. Ironically, Brice learned to 

read and feared that others might find out. 

 Today it is the man or woman who can't read who puts a great deal of energy and creativity 

into the effort to keep their illiteracy a secret. I have wondered sometimes what Brice must have 

thought as the foreign words and symbols of the English language began to unravel themselves in 

his mind. I can't help but think that his very first taste of real freedom in this country came the day 

he made the connection between a familiar word and some letters in a book. He must have known 

that he had found the real key to self-possession, the real key to unlocking the chains of his slavery. 

 While Brice's story is not unique, it is highly illustrative of the struggle out of literacy, and 

it was and still is part of the story of America. 

 In my family, we say the love of reading and book learning is in our bone memory. 

Parthenia and Brice passed on their love of reading to my great-grandfather, Wyatt, who owned a 

modest library and encouraged his family to read his books and to revere them. I am told that now 

and then Wyatt would tempt his children and grandchildren by allowing them to simply touch the 

books he owned, to hold them very carefully and to treat them with respect. 

 Those seeds certainly took root in my grandfather, John Henry, the man who raised me and 

made sure that I got a good education. For that and many other reasons, he is my hero. He helped 

me to discover the world. Books were his cherished possessions. They are no less to me. 

 As a child, I gave up speech. I stuttered badly, and so I retreated and lived in a world of 

silence rather than speak. But I found my voice in books, and I found the expanded vocabulary that 

is so important for someone who stutters. I developed a love for science and science fiction, the 

tales of the impossible. Jules Verne took me on adventures under the sea, under the Earth, and 

through time itself. Through his words, through my ability to read them, I could serve with Captain 

Nemo and thrive in a variety of worlds. I was mute to the outside world, but there were hundreds 

of conversations in my head. That is the beauty of reading that all children discover, the world that 
9

grown men and women can discover when they too learn how to read. 

 Today I come before you as a literacy advocate for Verizon, and I am just one of the many 

celebrity personalities who have partnered with Verizon and accepted the challenge to bring this 

insidious disease out of the closet. We are a deeply committed group, and proud to do our part. 

Lawmakers, reading teachers and tutors, corporate philanthropists, educators, and literacy 

volunteers, all of us have an important and necessary role addressing this issue. The hope that is 

ours to give to the illiterate is ageless, a prize that my great-great-grandfather Brice would have 

easily recognized. It is in his name and in the spirit of hope that Parthenia awakened in him that I 

thank you for letting me share this time with you. 

WRITTEN STATEMENT OF MR. JAMES EARL JONES, NATIONAL LITERACY 

SPOKESMAN, VERIZON, WASHINGTON, D.C. – APPENDIX D 

Chairman Castle. Thank you, Mr. Jones, for your very compelling testimony. We appreciate it. 

Mr. Seidenberg. 

STATEMENT OF MR. IVAN SEIDENBERG, PRESIDENT AND CHIEF 

EXECUTIVE OFFICER, VERIZON, WASHINGTON, D.C. 

Mr. Seidenberg. Chairman Castle, Chairman Boehner, Congressman Kildee, and the members of 

the committee, Verizon is very pleased to be here this morning to participate in this hearing, and as 

you know, we are committed to fight this battle against illiteracy. 

 I am here to describe very briefly for you the comprehensive program that we put in place 

in our company to address these various issues. We call the umbrella program Verizon Reads. 

Under this program, literacy is a major focus of our philanthropic efforts. The Verizon Foundation 

donated more than $20 million to literacy organizations in 2001. 

 We also have a program where our customers can participate directly through a unique 

option we call Check Into Literacy, which is a check off box on your phone bill through which 

customers can donate $1 a month to literacy organizations in their communities. We then distribute 

the funds back into their communities. 

 As you also know, we have enlisted the time and talents of very important people across the 

country to bring attention to the cause by becoming Verizon literacy champions. You have met the 

amazing folks behind us today, as well as the esteemed Mr. James Earl Jones. 

 We also have 240,000 employees and retirees who are very crucial to this effort. We 

encourage their involvement through matching gift programs and other initiatives to promote 

volunteerism on their part. Just last year, this resulted in 15,000 hours of volunteer time devoted to 

tutoring, reading to children, running book drives, etc., and more than 60,000 books donated in our 

annual "Seasons Readings" campaign across our company. 
10

 We have also developed the Verizon Literacy Network on the World Wide Web as a onestop resource for literacy information. Early next year we will extend this network even further by 

creating the Verizon Literacy University on the Internet. 

 Working with our partners in the literacy community, we intend to arm volunteers with the 

skills to assist literacy organizations across the country, dramatically changing the way services are 

offered through the practical application of our communications technology. 

 Of course, we are in this with many other important partners. We have closely aligned 

ourselves with the nation's leading literacy organizations such as National Center for Family 

Literacy, the National Institute for Literacy, ProLiteracy, and the National Alliance of Urban 

Literacy Coalitions. 

 Verizon's mission in all of this is highly focused. We work to raise public awareness, create 

partnerships, and generate financial support for local and national literacy organizations so they can 

do their jobs more effectively. Our experience shows that it takes more than traditional corporate 

philanthropy to make an impact on a complex social problem such as illiteracy. It takes 

collaboration, commitment, and long-term grassroots involvement. 

 Government can be an important part of this collaboration. In particular, the literacy 

community is very grateful for this Congress's support for family literacy initiatives that strengthen 

parents' ability to be their children's first and most important teacher. These programs are crucial to 

breaking the vicious cycle of low educational attainment and poverty. 

 There is also a critical need for additional funding for literacy research and methodologies 

that can better evaluate the state of literacy in America. Verizon, along with our literacy partners, 

applauds the House of Representatives for passing H.R.1, known as the "No Child Left Behind" 

act. Now we can all do more. We must make sure that no person is left behind regardless of age, 

geography, disability, or any other barrier. 

 Just last week, we were pleased to announce the latest member of our extraordinary Verizon 

literacy champions. His name is Erik Weihenmayer. Among Erik's achievements is that he has 

climbed the tallest peak on each of the world's seven continents, including Mount Everest. Erik 

also happens to be blind. Erik was with us last week when we joined the American Foundation for 

the Blind in supporting an initiative that will promote literacy for the blind by transcribing 

textbooks into Braille. 

 Every day, a child's mind is unlocked, a mother's bond with her children strengthened, a 

person's disability overcome, all by the simple power of learning to read. Unfortunately, there are 

vast populations in this country that remain locked in a cycle of illiteracy; a pattern that, left 

unaddressed, has dire consequences for our society. Verizon will continue to attack this issue. We 

urge the rest of corporate America, as well as our valuable partners in government and education to 

join us in this fight. 

 Thank you for your attention and for the work that you are doing in this issue. 
11

WRITTEN STATEMENT OF MR. IVAN SEIDENBERG, PRESIDENT AND CHIEF 

EXECUTIVE OFFICER, VERIZON, WASHINGTON, D.C. – APPENDIX E 

Chairman Castle. Thank you, Mr. Seidenberg, for what you are doing also.

 Mr. Kuebler. 

STATEMENT OF MR. RALPH KUEBLER, EXECUTIVE VICE PRESIDENT, 

MBNA FOUNDATION, WILMINGTON, DELAWARE 

Mr. Kuebler. Thank you, Chairman Boehner, Chairman Castle, and members of the 

subcommittee, for inviting me to testify today on the topic of literacy partnerships that work. I am 

an executive vice president with MBNA, headquartered in Wilmington, Delaware. We are the 

largest independent credit card lender in the United States, with more than 50 million customers. 

 From its inception in 1982, MBNA has believed strongly in community involvement. In 

1997, MBNA decided to increase our emphasis on education and created a foundation to enhance 

educational opportunities for students. Since then, I have been the managing director of the 

foundation's grants programs, college scholarship programs, education-related corporate donations, 

and school volunteer programs. My remarks today will focus on our grants programs where we 

have the best opportunity to partner with schools in ways that promote literacy. 

 As we all know, the ability to read is crucially important today. The development of 

partnerships with schools particularly to advance literacy was and continues to be a major goal of 

MBNA. However, our expertise is in banking, not education; therefore, we needed a partnership 

program that could, one, operate at the grassroots level; two, involve teachers; three, provide 

resources for the classroom; and four, incorporate accountability. 

 We designed the grants program with all these components, programs that could be used as 

models for other businesses that are willing to invest the people, the time, and the money to make it 

work. As of today, MBNA has funded more than 6,000 teacher-generated grants and provided 

more than $32 million in areas where our foundation operates. In Delaware alone, $4 million is 

earmarked annually to fund the grants programs. 

 Here are some examples of what we have been able to provide teachers to support literacy: 

increased numbers of reading books for classrooms and school libraries; leveled books and 

software to give extra help to students who are performing below grade level; assistive technology 

materials to enhance reading and writing experiences; support for before- and after-school remedial 

reading programs; professional development opportunities for teachers to enhance their instruction 

in reading and writing; student incentive programs to put extra books in the hands of students; 

access to literary artists, poets, and other guest lecturers to excite students about reading and 

writing; tutorial assistance to provide one-on-one help for students; funding for the development of 

school newspapers, radio stations, class trips, and other activities that increase opportunities for 

students to practice reading and writing; support for mentoring programs that match adults with 
12

students; and support for read-a-thons and book clubs. 

 This list goes on and on. 

 Then, for accountability, at the conclusion of every funded grant, the recipient must provide 

us with a program evaluation. Three times a year, MBNA publishes a newsletter highlighting 

successful grants and distributes it to all the teachers eligible to apply for our grants program. The 

success of the MBNA grants program is in the ability to have teachers tell us what supplemental 

programs, equipment, and material they need to improve the achievement of their students. 

 In addition to our grants program, MBNA participates in the Help One Student To Succeed 

program, in which MBNA people volunteer to tutor a child, at a school, one-on-one, for 1 hour a 

week. We also encourage and help develop partnerships between MBNA divisions and schools 

located near our many offices. Company policy allows all MBNA people 4 hours per month of 

paid volunteer time during normal working hours. 

 For the past 7 years, MBNA has partnered with the Gannett Company in its Newspapers in 

Education program, providing educational supplements to teachers and their students to promote 

reading and writing through the use of the daily newspapers. We also support numerous nonprofit 

organizations, such as Reading Is Fundamental, Reading Assistance Institute, Read Aloud, and 

Literacy Volunteers of America. 

 When it is all added up, MNBA and its people support education in many ways, year in and 

year out, and we will continue to look for effective ways of partnering with teachers and with 

schools to help all children develop strong literacy skills that will enrich their lives. 

Mr. Chairman and members of the subcommittee, I thank you for the privilege of appearing 

before you this morning. I wish you well in your deliberations, and would be happy to provide any 

additional information you may find helpful. Thank you. 

WRITTEN STATEMENT OF MR. RALPH KUEBLER, EXECUTIVE VICE PRESIDENT, 

MBNA FOUNDATION, WILMINGTON, DELAWARE – APPENDIX F

Chairman Castle. Thank you, Mr. Kuebler. 

 Mrs. Escamilla, we look forward to hearing about your real-life experiences. 

STATEMENT OF MRS. MARY BELLE ESCAMILLA, MEMBER, EVEN 

START PROGRAM, AND PARENT, WASHINGTON D.C. 

Mrs. Escamilla. Good morning to everybody. I am a part of a literacy program called Even Start.

I have been a part of the program for 2 and a half years. My husband is also part of the program, as 

well as my child Gustavo. This program has helped us a lot. When we came to the program, we 
13

couldn't communicate. Right now, I am very happy to be able to communicate with you. The 

program also helped us to reach our goals. 

 When we entered the program, I had not yet finished my GED. The Even Start Program 

helped me finish my GED. My husband’s goal was home ownership. We finally got a house 6 

months ago. The Even Start Program also helped get my children used to reading books. Gustavo, 

for example, loves to read books. If I don't read about five books a day, he is not happy. He cries 

and bothers me, saying, "Mom, read me a book. Read me a book." 

 The program was a great help. I give thanks for that. So they really helped us to get to a 

time where we could read for them. Even Start also helped us to get into different programs. We 

are enrolled in both computer classes and parenting classes. Currently, I am a volunteer in one of 

the parenting classes. 

 The program has helped my family considerably. It is the reason I can understand my two 

other kids. I can now understand them and help with their homework. Also, Even Start has helped 

me to be able to go and talk with the teachers. I am really thankful to have the kind of program that 

helps not only my family, but also other families. That is all I have to say. Thank you. 

Chairman Castle. Thank you, Mrs. Escamilla. Based on your testimony, I think next time we 

have a panel, we will have your son testify about having his mother read five books a day. That is 

what we need to hear around here. 

 Mr. Rawlings. 

STATEMENT OF MR. MIKE RAWLINGS, PRESIDENT, PIZZA HUT, INC., 

DALLAS, TEXAS 

Mr. Rawlings. Good morning. Thank you, Chairman Castle, for the invitation to testify. I am 

humbled to be here with Mrs. Escamilla. 

 Pizza Hut's literacy partnership is a national reading program called BOOK IT! program. If 

any of you have any children that have attended grade school in the last 18 years, there is a good 

chance that you are probably familiar with the program. Nearly 70 percent of all elementary 

schools in the nation participate in the BOOK IT! program. Basically, this program is so popular 

because it works. 

 Some 20 years ago, Art Gunther, the CEO of Pizza Hut, saw his young son struggling with 

reading. It was heartbreaking for him. He wanted to do something, so he started thinking about 

incentives as a way to motivate and making reading fun. He developed the idea of the program that 

provides pizza and praise for children. With the input of educators and librarians, the BOOK IT! 

program was born in 1985. 

 This month, BOOK IT! begins its 18th year. Right now, more than 20 million school 

children will be setting their reading goals and looking forward to that praise. Yes, and looking 

forward to that pizza, also. They will find reading a little more fun as a result of participating in 
14

BOOK IT! 

 Now, a few highlights about the program. BOOK IT! is the Nation's largest and longestrunning reading incentive program. It reaches 875,000 classrooms and 50,000 public, private, and 

parochial schools this year. We will also reach our 300 millionth BOOK IT! student. Young 

adults who were BOOK IT! students in the 1980s are now BOOK IT! teachers and BOOK IT! 

parents. Pizza Hut created the program and is its exclusive sponsor. We have invested nearly half 

a billion dollars in BOOK IT! Yes, invested half a billion dollars. Since its inception, we have 

given over $200 million in free pizza certificates. We have also invested in the classroom 

materials, educator research, and literacy partnerships over the years. In 1998, we developed a 

send program, BOOK IT! Beginners, which is a read-aloud program to reach preschool children 

like Gustavo. 

 This is how the program works—there are basically four Fs in the BOOK IT! programs. 

 First, the program is free to elementary schools. Free is important in our public schools 

today.

 Second, BOOK IT! is fun. Making reading fun is very important for kids. 

 Third, the program is flexible. We give the teachers the tools and let them decide how to 

use it based on their curriculum and their strategies. 

 Fourth, and most importantly, Pizza Hut provides rewards of gift certificates for food. I 

probably don't have to tell you that pizza is children's favorite food. 

 Free, fun, flexible, and food. It is a simple formula, and that is why it works. 

 We also regularly seek guidance and feedback from educators on our advisory council, 

which includes the Center for the Book in the Library of Congress, and the American Library 

Association. 

 Now, maintaining the integrity of the program remains our highest priority, and I believe 

we have accomplished that. A recent survey indicated that the program has a positive impact on 

students' behavior and attitudes about reading. Overall, over 90 percent of teachers said the 

programs met or exceeded their expectations. Teachers said that the program had a positive impact 

on vocabulary skills for over 90 percent of the kids. They said that their kids read more often, and 

their interest in reading increased. They said they had positive impact over their overall attitude 

about learning. 

Pizza Hut supports the BOOK IT! program because it is the right thing to do. However, 

there is another reason we care about it. A large number of young people will gain their first work 

experience in the restaurant industry. The restaurant industry helps prepare these young people for 

future careers in a wide range of fields. We want to see this workforce arrive prepared, able to 

read, able to comprehend, and able to lead. 
15

 The ability to read at an early age is arguably the most important answer to the most 

difficult long-term questions faced by our country. Focus is what we need on this critical issue, 

and we need to stay with it until it is solved. For Pizza Hut, this is not a cause that we support by 

attending a fancy dinner and writing a check once a year. We deeply believe in this issue. We 

believe in the contribution the BOOK IT! program has made. So do the teachers, so do parents, 

and so do children that have participated in it. 

 We look forward to many more years of BOOK IT!, and we will continue to look for more 

ways to make our program more responsive to the needs of our children. We expect to help 

another generation of readers learn to love books and have fun reading. 

 Thank you very much, Chairman. 

WRITTEN STATEMENT OF MR. MIKE RAWLINGS, PRESIDENT, PIZZA HUT, INC., 

DALLAS, TEXAS – APPENDIX G 

Chairman Castle. Thank you, Mr. Rawlings. We appreciate that. 

 Our final witness will be Ms. Stoia, and perhaps Ms. Stoia and a friend. 

STATEMENT OF MS. JUDITH STOIA, EXECUTIVE PRODUCER OF 

"BETWEEN THE LIONS," BOSTON, MASSACHUSETTS, ACCOMPANIED 

BY THEO THE LION 

Ms. Stoia. Perhaps. Thank you so much for including us today. We began “Between the Lions” 

with our partner, Sirius Thinking, in response to the urgent literacy crisis among America's 

children. We began developing the project in 1996. At the time, 70 percent of America's fourth 

graders read below grade level. At that time, there was one television program that was at all 

focused on reading skills. It was “Sesame Street,” which teaches the sounds of the alphabet.

Today, 6 years later, the market for children's television has exploded. Twenty-nine broadcast and 

cable channels offer 279 separate programs which, when repeats are counted, add up to 1,324 hours 

of programming each week aimed at children. Of all of these, two programs, “Sesame Street,” and 

now “Between the Lions,” try to help children learn to read. “Sesame Street” still does a brilliant 

job teaching the alphabet and its sounds. “Between the Lions” goes much further in teaching 

vowel sounds, how sounds go together to make words, and how words make sentences you can 

read. In short, “Between the Lions” helps young children crack the code to become readers. 

 The window for cracking the code is perilously narrow. If a child has not gotten it by the 

third grade, as so many have noted this morning, chances that he or she will ever become a 

proficient reader are slim. Put more bluntly, if we fail to reach a child by the third grade, he or she 

may grow up to become one of the 40 million Americans who are functionally illiterate, who have 

trouble understanding directions, filling out job applications, or reading to their own children. For 

these people, the world of books and the pure joy of reading is beyond their reach. 
16

 So on one hand, we have a literacy crisis of towering proportions and a tiny window of 

opportunity. On the other hand, we have television, which many people say is part of the problem, 

and often they are right. However, we believed back in 1996 that television could become part of 

the solution, also. We felt that television had unique properties that could help kids learn to read.

Television could make all the vowels on a page bounce and say their sounds. We can make word 

endings sing. We could highlight text as a story is read and then rearrange all the words and do it 

over again. 

 In short, the elements that make television so objectionable at times, its frenzy and its 

silliness, can also make it uniquely suited for teaching reading. 

 Our producers worked for a year on a detailed reading curriculum before we even thought 

of how to produce the program. We met time and again with the country's top reading experts, and 

assembled a group of kindergarten and first grade teachers who worked very closely with us in 

deciding what “Between the Lions” should teach. Through them, we identified the latest evidencebased practices, and we built our series on those practices. We came out of that year with a 

detailed curriculum that guides every element in our program. 

 Between the Lions looks like a lot of fun, and it is. But there is nothing random about the 

program. Every element teaches a reading skill. Those reading advisors and teachers have stayed 

with us every step of the way. They consult on scripts, view rough cuts, and lay out each season's 

curriculum. Indeed, we have a full-time reading advisor on our staff. This is one reason “Between 

the Lions” is so popular with teachers. What they are teaching in the classroom, we are reinforcing 

on television. 

 But does it work? Does our television program actually help young children learn to read? 

Most television programs are not quantifiable. They may be wonderful programs, but there is no 

way of measuring their effect. That is not true with “Between the Lions.” Whether or not children 

are learning from our program can be measured. Two cumulative research studies using 

experimental and control groups show that children who view “Between the Lions” demonstrate 

marked improvement in their reading skills. The first was a controlled study by the University of 

Kansas. It showed the kindergartners who watched “Between the Lions” made dramatic gains in 

key reading skills compared to the control group that did not watch the program. 

 The second research study was quite unusual. With the help of Senator Thad Cochran and 

his staff, we saturated two communities in Mississippi with our materials. Our advisors and 

producers conducted teacher workshops at the Choctaw Reservation and in Indianola in the Delta.

With grants from PBS, CPB, and the U.S. Department of Education's Ready to Learn program, we 

provided every Head Start, childcare, kindergarten, and first grade classroom with a set of 55 

videotapes, books, teachers' guides, and song sheets, as well as bags of books for children to take 

home. It was all free to them. 

 In exchange, the teachers agreed to show “Between the Lions” regularly, do related 

classroom activities, and continue working with our advisors. They did this over the course of the 

entire school year. 
17

Mississippi State conducted a yearlong research study that we have just received. I am 

delighted to report that the Mississippi children who watched “Between the Lions” showed 

dramatic improvements in important early reading skills over the children who did not. The 

researchers told us they were surprised and impressed at how well the children did in so many 

important early reading skills. 

 Details of the Kansas and Mississippi research studies are in the material we are leaving 

with you, as well as information on the Department of Education's Ready to Learn program and 

what it is doing in your State. 

 Along the way, we have enjoyed important partnerships with the business community.

Pizza Hut featured “Between the Lions” in last spring's far-ranging BOOK IT! Beginner's 

Campaign, reaching 96,000 preschool classrooms and 1.5 million kids. Chik-Fil-A distributed 

thousands of cassettes with our stories and songs. Cheerios was an underwriter for our first two 

seasons, along with five wonderful national foundations. 

 The landscape has changed for us now, as it has for so many children's programs, with the 

slide in the economy affecting foundations and corporations who might have been our partners in 

sunnier times. Just having the program on television is not enough. We must continue producing 

programs in order to cover all the skills that beginning readers need in order to become proficient 

readers.

 Also, there is so much to be done off the air. We already are working with the National 

Association of Childcare Resource and Referral Agencies to distribute our materials locally, and 

we have made an alliance with the American Indian Head Start program to use our materials and 

training in their communities. We want aggressively to expand teacher training and the use of our 

materials into childcare, kindergartens, and first grades around the country. It is frustrating to be 

scraping for funding, because we know that in the midst of the country's literacy crisis, we have a 

program that actually works. 

 I don't wish to end on a discouraging note, but I don't wish to conceal our challenges either. 

We are determined to build on what we have done, and look for support wherever we can find it. 

We are enormously grateful to be included in today's hearing. 

 I want to now introduce someone who has spent his life working in the areas of literacy. 

Theo the Lion. Blah, blah, blah. My line. Blah, blah, blah. 

Ms. Stoia. This is Theo. 

Theo the Lion. Judy, Judy, when do I come in? What is my cue? 

Ms. Stoia. This would be now. This would be now. 
18

Theo the Lion. Now? Oh, now, now! Oh, thank you. 

Mr. Chairman, do I get my own 5 minutes, or do I get the tail end of hers, sir? 

Ms. Stoia. That would be the tail end of mine, I think. 

Theo the Lion. I have the tail end. Well, I am good at that. 

 My name is Theo the Lion, and I work at a wonderful library on the show “Between the 

Lions.” With me are my beautiful wife Cleo and my adorable cubs Lionel and Leona. They are a 

great family. I guess you might say I am mighty proud of my pride. I am going to wait for a laugh.

Okay, that was good. 

 Actually, our library on “Between the Lions” where we help kids learn how to read is a 

typical library except for the fact that it is run by a family of lions. Actually, we have two pigeons 

that hang out there called Walter and Clay Pigeon. Of course, there is a dinosaur in the basement 

named Health the Thesaurus. Try saying that a few times fast. Well, of course, we teach vowel 

sounds with our singers, the Singing Vowels. If they ever need to sing consonant, they are joined 

by a lounge singer named Johnny Consonante. Then we have characters that come out of books 

and join us in the library, and through the magic of television we can go into the books and join the 

characters in their stories and change things around. It is a lot of fun. 

 Aside from all that, it is a typical library. 

 I suppose this is the point when we are supposed to take questions. Is that right, Judy? 

Ms. Stoia. Well, maybe. Yes. 

Theo the Lion. Maybe take questions? Yes. Questions so you can raise your hands? We will all 

remember to take turns now, Congressmen, and play nicely. Thank you very much. 

WRITTEN STATEMENT OF MS. JUDITH STOIA, EXECUTIVE PRODUCER OF "BETWEEN 

THE LIONS," BOSTON, MASSACHUSETTS, ACCOMPANIED BY THEO THE LION – 

APPENDIX H 

Chairman Castle. Well, we thank you, Theo. Judy, we thank you very much for your testimony. 

We will go into the question phase now. I will yield to myself first for 5 minutes for 

questions.

 I am going to ask Theo a question, if he is still there. 

Theo the Lion. Yes. 
19

Chairman Castle. I have never had a chance to ask a lion a question in my whole time in 

Congress.

Theo the Lion. Well, I appreciate you having a lion here in D.C., sir. This is very nice. 

Chairman Castle. Well, we are pleased to have you here today. I am interested to know if your 

wife Cleo, who you mentioned, is as enthusiastic about reading as you are, and why is she 

enthusiastic? 

Theo the Lion. Why is Cleo enthusiastic about reading? She is enthusiastic for probably the same 

reasons that I am. Books are incredible. Like all you folks said here, books open up whole new 

worlds. Mr. Jones was able to be Captain Nemo and all that stuff. Reading is everywhere. Just 

think of it. You have to read signs on the highway, instructions, newspapers, and magazines. It is 

important stuff. I don't know a better thing to get excited about. 

Chairman Castle. Thank you, Theo. We appreciate that. 

Mr. Kildee. 

Mr. Kildee. Could we put Mr. Leo under oath to make sure he is not lion? 

Chairman Castle. We trust Theo not to be lion. We will leave him off oath. 

 Let me turn to a different question for our three individuals representing three of America's 

finest corporations, as far as I am concerned: Mr. Seidenberg, Mr. Kuebler, and Mr. Rawlings. 

 I don't mean to imply that changes are needed or anything negative in the question, but I am 

very curious about business practices with respect to education. 

Mr. Kildee and I have been working very hard on the Office of Education Research, and we 

are about to get legislation passed to change all that, and to look into what really works in 

education and what doesn't. I have often worried about the business programs. This is not to imply 

in any way whatsoever that each of your programs, individually or collectively, don't work 

extraordinarily well to help young people develop literacy. But I am not sure that all the business 

programs out there do. I don't know what communication exists. 

 I was just wondering if each of you could take just a little bit of time to answer the question 

of if models exist out there at which you look. Is there any scientifically based research that you do 

to determine that the program you have is actually working? You know, it may sound good, it may 

seem good, but is it actually working out there? Do you talk to each other? Do you borrow from 

each other? Are these programs done independently because of your own entrepreneurial will to 

just do it yourself and not share with others? 

 Is there some sort of consortium that helps you with all of this? God spare, I probably 

know the answer to this. Is there anything we could do to help with this, or do you just want us to 
20

stay as far away from you as we possibly can? I can understand that answer as well. 

 I hope from that sort of series of questions you get the gist. Essentially, what can we do to 

make sure that when businesses are doing this, we are delivering it as well as possible, and not just 

in a vacuum where there is a thought that it is going well but perhaps it is not? I am not suggesting 

that your programs are not going well. 

 Mr. Seidenberg, you can start it off. Unfortunately, it is a fairly long question, but I need 

brief answers because I only have 5 minutes. 

Mr. Seidenberg. Mr. Chairman, as you were talking, I was trying to formulate my answer. I think 

it would come down to our role in this process and our belief, which is to ignite the grassroots. I 

think in our case that we have taken it on faith, so to speak. If we can focus attention on the issue 

and ignite activism in the communities where our employees work and where our customers are, 

we can in effect build this up from the bottom. If you look at this from the top down, very 

clinically, we basically have to interview or test 10 people to hire one. We spend $50 million to 

$60 million a year on training, mostly technical training, and what we find is that you can't train 

people on very sophisticated telecommunications if they lack the basic skills for communicating, 

reading, and writing. 

 We got into this from the standpoint of working with our other corporate partners who have 

the local programs, and we try to provide the resources to ignite the grassroots. 

 There is no question that you could do that work very well by continuing to keep focusing 

the world on this issue. 

Chairman Castle. Thank you. 

Mr. Kuebler. 

Mr. Kuebler. We took a little different approach. We felt that the teachers had the secret. So 

before we started our grants program and put it together, we interviewed teachers, school 

administrators, superintendents, parents, and asked them how we could support their programs in 

the school. They pretty much said give us a means to get access to funding, but let us decide the 

programs that we are going to implement in the classroom, and we were comfortable with that. In 

our grant program, a teacher can apply for a grant for as small as $250 up to any amount that they 

want.

 We meet monthly, and we evaluate every program by a committee that is representative of 

the community, and I think the key that makes our program work, in addition to the application that 

they fill out, is that they agree to do a program evaluation at the end. They do a self-evaluation of 

the results. They set goals and objectives and methods of measurement of the program they are 

going to implement. They rate it, and when they send the evaluation back to us, we reevaluate it 

and rank every program that we fund. I can stand here today and say that we feel that more than 98 

percent of our funds have been very well spent. 
21

Chairman Castle. Thank you. 

Mr. Rawlings. 

Mr. Rawlings. I think your question is a great one. We know this is a big problem. We know it is 

complex. We also know there are a lot of people working on it. It is our perception that there are a 

lot of good organizations doing a lot of good things, but they are not organized and focused. I 

think a clear national strategy understanding the role that the private industry has to play and how 

they are going to be supporting the local environment and the national environment is necessary. 

 First of all, we believe in accountability, and that is why we did our research to find that this 

program worked. Is there not clear enough metrics of success? There is this national goal, but to 

make things work, it has got to be broken down at a local level, at a state level, and we believe in 

our business in racking and stacking success. We believe in recognizing people that are successful, 

shining the light on people that are not, and having accountability. I think that both having an 

agenda that brought all this together and participating as one entity are very necessary in dealing 

with this problem. 

Chairman Castle. Thank you. It is an interesting area for discussion that we need to keep focused 

on. But my 5 minutes is long over, so I will yield now to Mr. Kildee. 

Mr. Kildee. Thank you, Mr. Chairman. First, as chairman, I want to thank you for assembling this 

panel. It is an excellent panel today—each of the witnesses is excellent. Whenever I am surfing 

the television at night and I see your face, Mr. Jones, or your voice, I stop right there just to enjoy 

your voice. It is a tremendous voice, and those of us in politics wish we had one like that. All of 

you have been just excellent today. 

Ms. Stoia, can teachers in the classroom utilize some of the reading techniques used on 

television, and are they being offered in teacher training institutions? In the No Child Left Behind 

Act we really emphasized the training of teachers and making sure every teacher is fully qualified. 

Can we use some of those things in the classroom, and have teacher training institutions 

incorporated that into their curriculum? 

Ms. Stoia. It is one of our major goals. We have teachers' guides for kindergarten and first grade 

teachers that are available free on our web site and we have distributed tens of thousands of them 

nationally to kindergarten and first grade teachers. 

 In addition, we have a very advanced and well-produced web site that allows teachers to 

download elements of our program that coincide with what they are trying to teach in the 

classroom. So if a teacher is teaching past tense, he or she can go to our web site and download 

games, activities, songs, and stories that coincide with what they are doing in the classroom. 

Teachers are among our best partners, and we are doing everything we can to interact with teachers 

on the web, and to conduct teacher-training sessions around the country regarding the use our 

materials in the classroom. 
22

Mr. Kildee. Well, I only read my 4-year-old grandson, Gabriel, two books a night, not five, but he 

watches Theo, and it is incredible. I am amazed. I certainly was not that advanced in reading when 

I was his age, not even near that, but it is incredible what children can learn about reading and 

writing from television. So where it might be a problem for some watching too much television, it 

can also be a very, very helpful tool, and Theo and his family have helped. Thank you, Theo. 

 I think that one discipline can learn from another, and one area of our life can help another, 

and I think that television can be a very helpful thing in teacher training and in teaching children.

So, again, I want to thank you, Mr. Chairman, for having this very good panel. 

Chairman Castle. Thank you very much, Mr. Kildee, and Mrs. Biggert will be next. 

Mrs. Biggert. Thank you, Mr. Chairman. This has been a very interesting hearing that we have 

had today. My first question is for Ms. Stoia. How much emphasis does "Between the Lions" 

place on research-based instruction? 

Ms. Stoia. Our program is completely designed on research-based instruction. It is our belief that 

there are many competing theories on how to teach reading skills, and the only way to decide 

which among them to include is to make sure that there is some basis for their success. Otherwise 

it is much too random. We assembled a panel of reading experts and teachers who sorted through 

the research with us, and together we developed the program based entirely on research-proven 

elements for teaching and reading. This allowed "Between the Lions" to be a combination of 

phonics, which I think is very important, a love of reading, and the usefulness of reading and 

vocabulary. It is all of those things. 

Mrs. Biggert. Does this video that we have pertain to that? 

Ms. Stoia. Well, there is a chance that if we had time. The video we brought in is a very brief clip 

that demonstrates how we teach phonics. This particular clip we have talks about the "EN" word 

ending, and, you know, it shows animation, music, and live action and gives you a little test of how 

we handle those elements. 

Mrs. Biggert. Could we see it, please? 

Theo. Yes please. Roll the tape. Oh, I have been waiting all morning to say that. 

 [videotape shown] 

Mrs. Biggert. Thank you. Thank you, Theo. 

Theo. Oh, you are very welcome. 

Mrs. Biggert. I have just one other question. What kind of feedback, then, do you get from 

parents and teachers and kids about the show? 
23

Ms. Stoia. Well, we get a tremendous response on our web site, and a lot of feedback through 

local stations. PBS has a system called "Ready to Learn," which extends the message of every PBS 

kids show in its local communities, and through them we get a terrific response. Without it, we 

wouldn't know we are on the right track. 

Theo. I actually go to the web site every week and click on "feedback," and I think the words you 

are looking for, Judy, are overwhelmingly positive, outstanding feedback from kids, from teachers, 

and from parents. It is very, very encouraging. 

Mrs. Biggert. What about the families that don't have access to the web site? 

Ms. Stoia. Well, one of the reasons it is important that this program is on public television is 

because that is free to virtually every child in the country. 

 What we are hoping is that children who don't have computers at home have access at 

schools and at libraries. You are right. Not everyone does have access to that. In a matter of time, 

everyone, or nearly everyone will. 

Mrs. Biggert. Thank you. Thank you, Mr. Chairman. 

Chairman Castle. Thank you, Mrs. Biggert. Mrs. McCarthy. 

Mrs. McCarthy. Thank you, Mr. Chairman, and I want to thank all of you. I learned the first few 

months that I was here in Congress that if we didn't have cooperation with our corporations out 

there, half the work that needs to be done in our schools and for our children wouldn't get done, and 

I have been encouraging companies to get more involved, especially in the schools. 

 I guess there are a couple of things I want to look at. You are already starting to look at 

teaching the teachers how to teach. I happen to think we should be doing that in the colleges. I am 

not blaming the teachers, but the frustration on some of the committee hearings that we have had 

here was that basically the teachers were dedicated and they wanted to do this, but no one taught 

them how to teach someone how to read. I think that is something that we are going to be looking 

at, hopefully in higher education. 

 But there is another thing. When you brought up the Internet and computers, it came to 

mind that a lot of my schools in my minority area have no computers, not one in the whole school.

I went to corporations and asked for help, and we started getting computers, but a lot of my schools 

still do not have computers. So, again, they are dissatisfied as far as not having the tools that they 

need. This is where the disparity is between the school that I went to as a kid that has computers 

and 5 miles away the schools that don't have anything. That is where, hopefully, all of you can 

come in and help. 

 The other question is how are we going to reach every child that needs to be reached? You 

know, I am hoping all of you will reach out to the other CEOs, because of the partnerships that 

need to be done in this country, and you are talking about your low funding. We are going to have 

terrible funding, absolutely terrible funding. We don't even know if we are going to be able to have 
24

the funding there for Leave No Child Behind. That is where we are concerning our budgets. 

 It is going to have to be a cooperation between businesses and certainly the federal 

government. I spend a lot of time in some of the night schools and some of the other programs that 

are out there where they are trying to teach the parents how to read, and there is a waiting list like 

you wouldn't believe. That occurring in this day and age is a sin, because we know if the parents 

can't read, they are not going to be there helping their children, and to me that is one of the reasons 

we are seeing such bad results, especially in the early grades. 

 Now, I am lucky. I have grandchildren like Mr. Kildee does. I was reading to my grandson 

on Sunday, and he corrected me on a word that I misspoke. I grew up with learning disabilities, 

and I was lucky I had my father that worked with me to give me the love of reading. That love 

opened up a whole new world for me. I would have been totally withdrawn, but I could go into the 

world of magic, as I always called it. Reading allowed me to go to places where I never thought I 

would be. I tell the story all the time. I am not ashamed to say I have learning disabilities. I am 

not ashamed to say it, because I am sitting here in Congress, which goes to show if someone takes 

the time to work with you and if someone gives you the tools to learn, you can sit here in Congress, 

also.

 I certainly say thank you to all of you, but with all the skills that you have taken, would any 

part of it actually work in the colleges to teach our teachers how to read, because I think that is 

where we are really lacking on a lot of things? I think if we did that we would see, in my opinion, 

that a lot of kids who are in programs for the learning disabled, would not be in those programs, 

because it is mostly lack of reading skills that is holding them back and not other issues. 

 Would anything that you guys do fit into a college program? I am opening it up to you. No 

answers.

Ms. Stoia. Well, I couldn't agree with you more. A lot of the work that we do is working with 

teachers and helping them use "Between the Lions" in their classroom. What we are really doing is 

talking about how to teach reading, frankly. 

Mrs. McCarthy. Absolutely. 

Ms. Stoia. What we encounter over and over again is precisely what you are saying. With 

teachers, the issue probably starts in college. This isn't my area, but I know that if we could we 

would spend all the time when we are not making TV shows with teachers, because that is the 

central moment after the parent, isn't it? 

Mrs. McCarthy. Absolutely. 

Ms. Stoia. I don't know the answer, except that I think a lot of the tools are there, but there isn't a 

coordinated plan or funding. We haven't figured out how to do that yet. 
25

Mrs. McCarthy. Well, hopefully we will deal with working with our future teachers in this 

committee in the future. Thank you. 

Chairman Castle. I hope so, too. 

 Thank you, Mrs. McCarthy. 

Mr. Wilson. 

Mr. Wilson. Thank you, Mr. Chairman. I would like to thank all the participants today and the 

panelists. Your reports have been very inspiring, and I am particularly happy to see Mr. 

Seidenberg. I am a happy Verizon customer, and you should be happy. My wife is also. My sons 

are from Clemson and Maryland in College Park, and so we are a Verizon family. 

 Additionally, I am very pleased that you work with James Earl Jones. He is an inspiration, 

and the very first movie that I took my oldest son to 25 years ago this year was Star Wars, and so 

this is just extraordinary to have you here. We appreciate you being such a positive spokesman for 

America. 

 I wanted to point out that I know firsthand the information you gave us about silent 

humiliation of an adult who is unable to read, and I am very pleased to see that you are working in 

that regard. Reverend Johnny Lee Johnson was a family friend that helped raise me and helped 

raise my children. He was particularly helpful in pointing out scripture from the Old and New 

Testament that was applicable to conduct that needed to be corrected. He was so dear, in fact, that 

I provided the eulogy at his funeral at Stonewall Holiness Church this January. What I didn't 

realize until about 5 years ago was that he couldn't read. I almost credit him with being a genius 

with his ability to memorize. The question I would have for Mr. Seidenberg is how do we break 

down the reluctance, of very proud people, even a pastor, who cannot read? 

Mr. Seidenberg. Well, it is a very difficult question, Congressman, but I guess we ought to come 

back to what our belief is about this. Through James and through our champions behind us, Dick, 

Lee Ann, Mike, and Chris, we have tried to raise the grassroots perspective on this and enable 

people to see that it is okay to focus on this. We have tried to get people to volunteer and make this 

sort of an activity that everybody wants to do, and also provide the funding. In our case we want to 

raise the awareness, but at the same time focus all of the resources in a given community to get 

people to work on this. 

 Literacy is linked to jobs. It is linked to economic advancement. It is linked to just being a 

productive human being, but I think we have come at this in a way that tries to personalize this to 

everybody and give him or her the confidence that it is the right thing to focus on. 

Mr. Wilson. I think it is a quality of life, and I appreciate what you are doing. 

 Additionally, I appreciate you having the sport stars here. We in South Carolina are very 

proud of Mike Cohn, in that we don't have many people who excel in Winter Olympics. We have 
26

to import snow, and so he is a rare figure. 

Mr. Seidenberg. You also have to be able to read, to read the instructions on these cell phones 

that we give you. You know that. 

Mr. Wilson. Yes, please. The book you provide is excellent. There are two hundred pages of 

instruction on the phone. How did Verizon get into the literacy program? 

Mr. Seidenberg. This was started by the predecessor company, GTE, several years ago. It was 

really born from the simple view that our employees live in the communities. We recognized that 

most of the GTE properties were in rural areas, and literacy was an important part of helping to 

support economic development. When you think of the nature of our business, becoming more 

technologically advanced with the Internet and all these other kinds of things, we felt this was a 

clear linkage between the ability to read, write, and communicate. Therefore, we have made this 

our flagship program, and our people love to do this. We love to do this, and the people that work 

with us do a great job for us. 

Mr. Wilson. Thank you, Mr. Chairman. 

Chairman Castle. Thank you very much, Mr. Wilson. 

Mr. Scott. 

Mr. Scott. Thank you, Mr. Chairman, and I would add my congratulations and thanks to James 

Earl Jones for being with us and using his celebrity for such a worthwhile project and worthwhile 

cause.

 We have heard from our corporate executives about the importance of literacy in terms of 

economic development and employment. This committee deals with welfare and crime, obviously 

very much associated with both. Not reading by the third grade is very much associated with 

juvenile delinquency. I guess my first question would be to the corporate executives who are 

running the programs. Do you have a waiting list to get on the programs? 

Mr. Rawlings. We do not. We send this out every fall, and we invite every school district in 

every community to be with us. Ironically, the schools that are more in the urban and minority 

districts see this as a better program for them versus the other schools that are better funded. 

Mr. Scott. Are there people who would like to learn how to read that we don't get to for lack of 

funding? 

Mr. Rawlings. Our program is open to everybody. It is just an awareness issue, and we don't have 

that issue. I am sure there are. I don't argue with that, but it is not an issue with us. 

Mr. Seidenberg. Congressman, I think the issue is making sure the RAMs are where the people 

are located. I think that is the focus that we have really tried to make sure through using all of the 

local organizations. I am sure we could always use more funding. I guarantee people could use 
27

more funding, but the more important issue is to make sure that people are aware of the capabilities 

in the local communities to access the programs. 

Mr. Scott. Mr. Kuebler, you indicated that you require your grant recipients to give an evaluation 

of the program. Can you tell us some of the more successful programs and how you evaluate 

whether or not it is successful? 

Mr. Kuebler. We do a lot of levelized reading programs. When children are reading one or two 

grades below level, we will provide software and books in the classroom to supplement what is 

being taught to the regular children in the classroom. At the end of a year, we will get reports back 

that the majority of the students have advanced one, two, two and a half, three grades. In some 

cases they have progressed beyond the grade level that they are in currently. We get all kinds of 

reports back from parents and from teachers that talk about making the books fun to read. 

 One of the Congressmen mentioned that one spends their first three years learning to read, 

and then from fourth grade on, reading to learn. What we find is a shortage of good books or a 

variety of good books at different reading levels for students in the schools. Many of our programs 

and more than 30 percent of our grants go to provide reading material in the classrooms and in the 

libraries so that children have something to read. We also provide a lot of take-home programs, 

where it is a reward. They get to take the book home and read it with their families, and in many 

cases other children in the family are also reading those books. 

Mr. Scott. You are funding different kinds of programs? 

Mr. Kuebler. Yes. 

Mr. Scott. Do some work better than others? 

Mr. Kuebler. A lot of it is implementation. I mean, I think most of them have good concepts.

Sometimes teachers take on more than they can handle, and they will see that in the evaluation. 

We don't even consider that a failure, because the next time they apply for a grant, they are not 

going to make the same mistake that they have made before. In addition, one of the conditions of 

our grants program is that every teacher who gets a grant has to agree to share the results of that 

with any other interested teacher. 

 So many of our teachers who are interested in doing something will get in touch with other 

teachers to find out how they implement their program, what worked, and what didn't work, so that 

they can be more successful in their implementation. 

Mr. Scott. Thank you. 

Ms. Stoia, you indicated that you started off by asking around to find out what the best 

methodology might be. Did you find a general consensus that the education community knows 

what to do, or did you suspect that more research is needed? 
28

Ms. Stoia. Well, we found both. You know, when we started looking into this in 1996, there were 

ferociously competing ideas of how reading ought to be taught. The conclusion we arrived at with 

our reading advisers was that it was important to teach reading skills like phonics, and it was also 

important to include vocabulary and a love and celebration of reading, as well as understanding text 

in context. 

 I believe, compared with the situation in 1996, when we started thinking about this 

program, that there is much more consensus now on the theories of what ought to be taught, but a 

struggle to get there. 

Chairman Castle. Thank you. Let me tell you what we are going to do. We are going to try to 

finish this whole hearing before we go vote. There are several people who want to ask at least one 

question—Mr. Ehlers, Mr. Payne and Mr. Osborne. Mr. Ehlers is going to ask a brief question, 

yield to Mr. Osborne, and then Mr. Payne hopefully will have time to finish it. We need brief 

answers and brief questions. 

 Thank you, everybody. Mr. Ehlers. 

Mr. Ehlers. Thank you very much, Mr. Chairman, and let me first of all commend all of you for 

what you have done. This is a good example of corporate responsibility, and we need a good deal 

more of that, especially to counteract the impression the American people have about corporate 

actions these days. I could mention another EN word here that came up from the vocabulary. Also 

thank you, Mr. Jones, for being here. You have been one of my heroes for many years, and I 

appreciate you being here. 

 The issue is simply that there are many children who have reading difficulties of one sort or 

another. Dyslexia is one of the most common; in fact, the most common that involves a physical or 

physiological problem. Do any of these programs that you have here try to address those with 

problems in reading or those who have speech impediments who can't read aloud leading to a 

problem learning to read? Do you just try to reach the large mass of people? 

 I am curious if any of you are addressing that problem yet, and if not, whether you plan to 

address it in the future as your success warrants it. We can go very quickly down the line. Mr. 

Seidenberg, do you have any comments? 

Chairman Castle. Very quickly down the line. 

Mr. Seidenberg. The answer is yes, and that is not our primary focus, but we do catch that. 

Mr. Ehlers. Good. Thank you. 

Mr. Seidenberg. We will be happy to provide you with more information. 

WRITTEN INFORMATION SUBMITTED FOR THE RECORD BY MR. IVAN SEIDENBERG, 

PRESIDENT AND CHIEF EXECUTIVE OFFICER, VERIZON, WASHINGTON, D.C. – 
29

APPENDIX I 

Mr. Ehlers. All right. Next. 

Mr. Kuebler. We have a separate grants program called the Helen Graham program. It is funded 

a million dollars a year, and it is for children with cognitive disabilities. It is very specialized and 

we provide the materials, the software, the equipment, and whatever it takes to help that child to 

learn.

Mr. Ehlers. Thank you. 

Mr. Rawlings. We do not have anything focused against that. This program covers those students 

as well. 

Mr. Ehlers. All right. Lastly, is there anything in "Between the Lions"? 

Ms. Stoia. Yes, one of our partners is the National Center for Learning Disabilities, which uses 

our materials in their own programs. 

Theo. We also have a character on the show whose name is Gus. He is my son Lionel's friend, 

and he has trouble with reading. Kids can relate to him and see that it is okay to have trouble. It is 

not a bad thing, and there is something you can do to help. Thank you. 

Mr. Ehlers. Well, thank you, Theo. I want to quickly mention, I could never go to school because 

I have such severe allergies, and I was tested at the Mayo Clinic once. On a scale of 0 to 400, 

which is their scale, my cat allergy was 15,500. I could barely stay in the session with them. It 

would have been nice if you had selected chihuahuas as your mascot. But I recognize "Between 

the Chihuahuas" doesn't have quite the ring to it. 

 I am pleased to yield the balance of time to Mr. Osborne. 

Mr. Osborne. Thank you very much. Also, I would like to express my appreciation to you for 

coming today, and I just have one very quick question. I notice that Mr. Seidenberg indicated that 

you could only hire roughly one out of every 10 people that you interview. I guess in my 

experience in athletics, we often found that looking at a transcript doesn't mean much, because 

while an American might have a 3-point GPA and high school diploma, it doesn't mean he can 

read.

 So what I was wanting to assess is your opinion of the education bill, the new bill that 

requires testing grades 3 through 8 every year on reading and math, whether you think that is a 

good thing or not. It seems like a simple question, but we hear a lot of people who don't like that, 

and I just wondered from corporate America what your feeling would be in that requirement. 

Mr. Seidenberg. Congressman, to me it is easy. You have got to test, you have got to test, and 

you have got to test. I think it is not the only decision. It is not the only standard you use when 

you hire, but you have got to test and verify. As a businessperson over time, you can't raise the 
30

standard if you can't measure it, and you can't measure it if you don't test it. 

Mr. Kuebler. I agree with Mr. Seidenberg. I think you have to hold the teachers accountable. 

One of the ways to hold them accountable is through pre and post testing, and I think it helps you 

monitor each individual child much more closely that way. 

Mr. Rawlings. Both my parents and all my family were teachers, and so I am sensitive to the 

points of view that at times teachers say you just don't want to teach for the test. But I also think a 

test must be the sign for clear metrics or an ability to make progress. I believe the more metrics the 

better and testing for success. 

Mr. Osborne. Thank you. I yield back whatever time is left. 

Chairman Castle. Let us turn very quickly to Mr. Payne, and I am sorry to have to cut his time. 

He is one of the fine, caring members who actually has taught in the past. Mr. Payne. 

Mr. Payne. Thank you very much. I would just like to also thank Mr. James Earl Jones. I think if 

young African-American kids heard your story, they would perhaps have a little more appreciation 

for learning and learning to read. So thank you so much for your story. Mr. Seidenberg, being in 

Newark and your new office going up, we look forward to working closely with you. Your 

company does an outstanding job. Of course MBNA also has two new buildings in Newark. The 

MBNA has really become a tremendous leader in our town. Newark needs a lot of assistance from 

corporate people, and we really appreciate the exemplary work that you have done in our town in 

such a short time. 

 Pizza Hut, you need to get an office in Newark. We eat a lot of pizza, you know. I grew up 

in the old North Ward where pizza was really the primary food. That is where the Sopranos come 

out of, you know. So we would certainly welcome it. 

I also want to thank Ms. Stoia. Theo, I grew up on "The Wiz" with the cowardly lion, but I 

am glad that, of course, he ended up all right. It is good to see Theo being so positive at the 

beginning and getting kids right on it. Do you agree, Theo? 

Theo. Yes, sir. Thank you. 

Mr. Payne. Let me just thank everyone, and of course the participants. I think the important thing 

is Ms. Escamilla and her young reading son. There is one last thing I would like to say. Mr. Dick 

Enberg, if you could get Mr. Tagliabue and some of the NFL to talk about the fact that being 

illiterate is not a stigma. So many people are in the closet. It is similar to how mental health used 

to be. We have stories of couples that were married, and one of the spouses didn't even know that 

the other spouse could not read. When it came time for a newspaper, they said, did you see that 

article, and the wife might say, oh, let me get some coffee, or there were even some business 

people that could not read. The airline would ask a person a question, and they would respond, oh, 

I don't have my glasses, could you tell me when the flight to Chicago is. I mean, successful 

business people. If we can get people to understand that it is not a stigma to be illiterate, I think 
31

that is where we need to push people out of the closet so they take advantage of these programs. 

 Thank you very much, Mr. Chairman. 

Chairman Castle. Thank you, Donald. We appreciate that. I apologize for a little bit of the 

rushing at the end. It is the nature of the beast. We are going to be on the floor for 30 or 40 

minutes. We didn't want to hold everybody up. We thank each and every one for being here, 

including those who came today but did not participate in this testimony. Your being here is a 

tremendous contribution to this effort that we all care greatly about. We want to join with you in 

everything we can possibly do to educate both the young and every other individual in America, 

particularly those who can't read as well as we can. 

 So we do appreciate you being here. I am sorry we can't say good-bye individually. We 

have got to hit the ground running because we have got about 2 minutes left of this vote. With that, 

the subcommittee stands adjourned. 

 [Whereupon, at 11:40 a.m., the subcommittee was adjourned.] 
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TABLE OF INDEXES 

Mr. Boehner, 3 

Mr. Castle, 1, 4, 5, 7, 9, 11, 12, 13, 15, 18, 19 

Mr. Ehlers, 28, 29 

Mr. Johnson, 6 

Mr. Jones, 7 

Mr. Kildee, 4, 19, 21, 22 

Mr. Kuebler, 11, 20, 27, 29, 30 

Mr. Osborne, 29, 30 

Mr. Payne, 5, 30 

Mr. Rawlings, 13, 21, 26, 29, 30 

Mr. Scott, 26, 27 

Mr. Seidenberg, 9, 20, 25, 26, 28, 29 

Mr. Wilson, 25, 26 

Mrs. Biggert, 22, 23 

Mrs. McCarthy, 23, 24, 25 

Ms. Escamilla, 12 

Ms. Stoia, 15, 17, 18, 21, 22, 23, 24, 27, 28, 29 

Theo, 22, 23, 29, 30 

Theo The Lion, 17, 18, 19