Reading applications this year, I bet we've found 50 high schools at least that ranked a year ago that aren't ranking now.

We began an aggressive reading strategy through Reading First two years ago in nearly 100 elementary schools with low reading achievement across the state. These efforts, which involve students in the early grades, will show up on NAEP measures in future years, and will give us a roadmap for expanding this approach to providing professional development, building leadership and strengthening reading instruction in more schools in our state.

It seems like we always play second fiddle to some of the other schools around here. That's why this year we'd like to win region and maybe surprise some people.

Schools, including universities, must insist upon the prestige of reading and especially of reading old books.

Teaching reading is rocket science, ... You need somebody in each of these schools who knows how to do it, and that reading specialist has to be looked at as sacred ground, not as someone who can be pulled out every time you need a classroom covered.

We had a really good start in all of our schools. It went exceptionally well. It was almost like our schools just closed for the weekend.