I
105TH CONGRESS
2D SESSION
H. R. 4307
To amend the Elementary and Secondary Education Act of 1965 and the
Head Start Act to promote high-quality family literacy programs and
train parents effectively to teach their children, and for other purposes.
IN THE HOUSE OF REPRESENTATIVES
JULY 22, 1998
Mr. SMITH of Michigan introduced the following bill; which was referred to
the Committee on Education and the Workforce
A BILL
To amend the Elementary and Secondary Education Act
of 1965 and the Head Start Act to promote high-quality
family literacy programs and train parents effectively
to teach their children, and for other purposes.
Be it enacted by the Senate and House of Representa-
tives of the United States of America in Congress assembled,
SECTION 1. SHORT TITLE.
This Act may be cited as the ‘‘Family Literacy Im-
provement Act of 1998’’.
SEC. 2. FINDINGS.
The Congress finds as follows:
(1) Family literacy programs provide important
literacy assistance to families.
(2) Family literacy programs assist parents in
improving their literacy skills, attaining self-suffi-
ciency, and helping their children succeed in school.
(3) Family literacy programs empower parents
by providing them with the skills to interact posi-
tively with their children, with respect to their chil-
dren’s education.
(4) Family literacy programs encourage parents
to read to their children, which is a key component
of children’s academic success.
(5) Existing family literacy programs should be
strengthened in order to ensure that they are as ef-
fective as possible in serving the literacy needs of at-
risk families in the United States.
TITLE I—AMENDMENTS TO EVEN
START 
FAMILY 
LITERACY
PROGRAMS
SEC. 101. RESERVATION FOR GRANTS.
Section 1202(c) of the Elementary and Secondary
Education Act of 1965 (20 U.S.C. 6362(c)) is amended
to read as follows:
‘‘(c) RESERVATION FOR GRANTS.—
‘‘(1) GRANTS AUTHORIZED.—In any fiscal year
in which the amount appropriated to carry out this
part exceeds the amount appropriated to carry out
this part for the preceding fiscal year, the Secretary
shall reserve such funds in excess of the amount ap-
propriated for such preceding fiscal years as do not
exceed $1,000,000 to award grants, on a competitive
basis, to States to enable such States to plan and
implement, statewide family literacy initiatives to co-
ordinate and integrate existing Federal, State, and
local literacy resources consistent with the purposes
of this part. Such coordination and integration shall
include funds available under the Adult Education
Act, Head Start, this part, part A of this title, and
part A of title IV of the Social Security Act.
‘‘(2) CONSORTIA.—
‘‘(A) 
ESTABLISHMENT.—To 
receive 
a
grant under this subsection, a State shall estab-
lish a consortium of the following State-level
programs:
‘‘(i) Programs under this title.
‘‘(ii) Programs under the Head Start
Act.
‘‘(iii) Programs under the Adult Edu-
cation Act.
‘‘(iv) All other State-funded preschool
programs and programs providing literacy
services to adults.
‘‘(B) PLAN.—To receive a grant under this
subsection, the consortium established by a
State shall create a plan to use a portion of the
State’s resources, derived from the programs
referred to in subparagraph (A), to strengthen
and expand family literacy services in such
State.
‘‘(3) READING INSTRUCTION.—Statewide family
literacy initiatives implemented under this subsection
shall base reading instruction on reliable, replicable
research on reading.
‘‘(4) TECHNICAL ASSISTANCE.—The Secretary
shall provide, directly or through a grant or contract
with an organization with experience in the develop-
ment and operation of successful family literacy
services, technical assistance to States receiving a
grant under this subsection.
‘‘(5) MATCHING
REQUIREMENT.—The Sec-
retary shall not make a grant to a State under this
subsection unless the State agrees that, with respect
to the costs to be incurred by the eligible consortium
in carrying out the activities for which the grant was
awarded, the State will make available non-Federal
contributions in an amount equal to not less than
the Federal funds provided under the grant.’’.
SEC. 102. DEFINITIONS.
Section 1202(e) of the Elementary and Secondary
Education Act of 1965 (20 U.S.C. 6362(e)) is amended—
(1) in paragraph (3), by striking ‘‘and’’ at the
end;
(2) by redesignating paragraphs (3) and (4) as
paragraphs (4) and (7), respectively;
(3) by inserting after paragraph (2) the follow-
ing:
‘‘(3) the term ‘family literacy services’ means
services provided to participants on a voluntary basis
that are of sufficient intensity in terms of hours,
and of sufficient duration, to make sustainable
changes in a family (such as eliminating or reducing
welfare dependency) and that integrate—
‘‘(A) interactive literacy activities between
parents and their children;
‘‘(B) activities equipping parents to moti-
vate, teach, and otherwise partner with their
children in learning;
‘‘(C) parent literacy training, including
training that contributes to economic self-suffi-
ciency; and
‘‘(D) appropriate instruction for children
of parents receiving parent literacy services;’’;
and
(4) by inserting after paragraph (4) the follow-
ing:
‘‘(5) the term ‘reading’ means the process of
comprehending the meaning of written text by de-
pending on—
‘‘(A) the ability to use phonics skills, that
is, knowledge of letters and sounds, to decode
printed words quickly and effortlessly, both si-
lently and aloud;
‘‘(B) the ability to use previously learned
strategies for reading comprehension; and
‘‘(C) the ability to think critically about
the meaning, message, and aesthetic value of
the text;
‘‘(6) the term ‘reliable, replicable research’
means objective, valid, scientific studies that—
‘‘(A) include rigorously defined samples of
subjects that are sufficiently large and rep-
resentative to support the general conclusions
drawn;
‘‘(B) rely on measurements that meet es-
tablished standards of reliability and validity;
‘‘(C) test competing theories, where mul-
tiple theories exist;
‘‘(D) are subjected to peer review before
their results are published; and
‘‘(E) discover effective strategies for im-
proving reading skills; and’’.
SEC. 103. PROGRAM ELEMENTS.
Section 1205 of the Elementary and Secondary Edu-
cation Act of 1965 (20 U.S.C. 6365) is amended—
(1) in paragraph (9), by striking ‘‘and’’ at the
end;
(2) in paragraph (10), by striking the period at
the end and inserting ‘‘; and’’; and
(3) by adding at the end the following:
‘‘(11) include a dedicated period of time for
parents and their children to interact for the specific
purposes of enhancing the childrens’ learning and
developing a relationship of reciprocal learning and
teaching.’’.
(2) by inserting after section 1209 the follow-
ing:
‘‘SEC. 1210. INDICATORS OF PROGRAM QUALITY.
‘‘Each State receiving funds under this part shall de-
velop, based on the best available research and evaluation
data, indicators of program quality for programs assisted
under this part. Such indicators shall be used to monitor,
evaluate, and improve such programs within the State.
Such indicators shall include the following:
‘‘(1) With respect to eligible participants in a
program who are adults—
‘‘(A) achievement in the areas of reading,
writing, English language acquisition, problem
solving, and numeracy;
‘‘(B) receipt of a high school diploma or a
general equivalency diploma;
‘‘(C) entry into a postsecondary school, job
retraining program, or employment or career
advancement, including the military; and
‘‘(D) such other indicators as the State
may develop.
‘‘(2) With respect to eligible participants in a
program who are children—
‘‘(A) improvement in ability to read on
grade level or reading readiness;
‘‘(B) school attendance;
‘‘(C) grade retention and promotion; and
‘‘(D) such other indicators as the State
may develop.’’.
(b) STATE LEVEL ACTIVITIES.—Section 1203(a) of
the Elementary and Secondary Education Act of 1965 (20
U.S.C. 6363(a)) is amended—
(1) in paragraph (1), by striking ‘‘and’’ at the
end;
(2) in paragraph (2), by striking the period at
the end and inserting ‘‘; and’’; and
(3) by adding at the end the following:
‘‘(3) carrying out section 1210.’’.
(c) AWARD OF SUBGRANTS.—Paragraphs (3) and (4)
of section 1208(b) of the Elementary and Secondary Edu-
cation Act of 1965 (20 U.S.C. 6368) are amended to read
as follows:
‘‘(3) CONTINUING
ELIGIBILITY.—In awarding
subgrant funds to continue a program under this
part for the second, third, or fourth year, the State
educational agency shall evaluate the program based
on the indicators of program quality developed by
the State under section 1210. Such evaluation shall
take place after the conclusion of the startup period,
if any.
‘‘(4) INSUFFICIENT
PROGRESS.—The State
educational agency may refuse to award subgrant
funds if such agency finds that the eligible entity
has not sufficiently improved the performance of the
program, as evaluated based on the indicators of
program quality developed by the State under sec-
tion 1210, after—
‘‘(A) providing technical assistance to the
eligible entity; and
‘‘(B) affording the eligible entity notice
and an opportunity for a hearing.’’.
SEC. 107. RESEARCH.
The Elementary and Secondary Education Act of
1965, as amended by section 106 of this Act, is further
amended by inserting after section 1210 the following:
‘‘SEC. 1211. RESEARCH.
‘‘(a) IN GENERAL.—The Secretary shall carry out,
through grant or contract, research into the components
of successful family literacy services, to be used—
‘‘(1) to improve the quality of existing pro-
grams assisted under this part or other family lit-
eracy programs carried out under this Act or the
Adult Education Act; and
‘‘(2) to develop models for new programs to be
carried out under this Act or the Adult Education
Act.
‘‘(b) DISSEMINATION.—The National Institute for
Literacy shall disseminate the results of the research de-
scribed in subsection (a) to States and recipients of sub-
grants under this part.’’.
TITLE II—AMENDMENTS TO THE
HEAD START ACT
SEC. 201. AMENDMENTS RELATING TO FAMILY LITERACY.
The Head Start Act (42 U.S.C. 9831–9852) is
amended—
(1) in section 637(4) is amended to read as fol-
lows:
‘‘(4) The term ‘family literacy services’ means
services that—
‘‘(A) are provided to participants who re-
ceive the services on a voluntary basis;
‘‘(B) are of sufficient intensity, and of suf-
ficient duration, to make sustainable changes in
a family (such as eliminating or reducing de-
pendence on income-based public assistance);
and
‘‘(C) integrate each of—
‘‘(i) interactive literacy activities be-
tween parents and their children;
‘‘(ii) training for parents on being
partners with their children in learning;
‘‘(iii) parent literacy training, includ-
ing training that contributes to economic
self-sufficiency; and
‘‘(iv) appropriate instruction for chil-
dren of parents receiving the parent lit-
eracy training.’’,
(2) in section 639—
(A) in subsection (a) by striking ‘‘1998’’
and inserting ‘‘2003’’,
(B) in subsection (b)—
(i) in paragraph (1)—
(I) by striking ‘‘1998’’ and in-
serting ‘‘2003’’, and
(II) by striking ‘‘and’’ at the end,
(ii) in paragraph (2)—
(I) by striking ‘‘1998’’ and in-
serting ‘‘2003’’, and
(II) by striking the period at the
end and inserting ‘‘; and’’, and
(C) by adding at the end the following:
‘‘(3) not less than $5,000,000 for fiscal year
1999, and such sums as may be necessary for fiscal
years 2000 through 2003, to carry out section
648B.’’, and
(3) by inserting after section 648A the follow-
ing:
‘‘SEC. 648B. FAMILY LITERACY SERVICES.
‘‘From funds reserved under section 639(b)(3), the
Secretary—
‘‘(1) shall provide grants through a competitive
process, based upon the quality of the family literacy
service proposal and taking into consideration geo-
graphic and urban/rural representation, for not more
than 100 Head Start agencies to initiate provision
of family literacy services through collaborative part-
nerships with entities that provide adult education
services, entities carrying out Even Start programs
under part B of chapter 1 of title 1 of the Elemen-
tary and Secondary Education Act of 1965 (20
U.S.C. 274 et seq.), or entities that provide other
services deemed necessary for the provision of family
literacy services; and
‘‘(2) may—
‘‘(A) provide training and technical assist-
ance to Head Start agencies that already pro-
vide family literacy services;
‘‘(B) designate as mentor programs, and
provide financial assistance to, Head Start
agencies that demonstrate effective implementa-
tion of family literacy services, based on im-
proved outcomes of children and their parents,
to enable such agencies to provide training and
technical assistance to other agencies that seek
to implement, or improve implementation of,
family literacy services; and
‘‘(C) award grants or make other assist-
ance available to facilitate training and tech-
nical assistance to programs for development of
collaboration agreements with other service pro-
viders.
In awarding such grants or assistance, the Secretary shall
give special consideration to an organization that has ex-
perience in the development and operation of successful
family literacy services.’’.
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