FACT: According to the National Center for Educational Statistics (2001), thirty-eight percent of America's fourth graders cannot read and understand a simple paragraph from an age-appropriate book.

FACT: Recent research by the NICHD has concluded that when properly instructed, ninety-five percent of children who are reading disabled or at risk for reading failure can become average or above average readers. This is accomplished through early identification and effective instruction.

FACT: For the most part, schools are in a quandary because they do not have the scientific facts to compare and contrast programs. Having this knowledge would allow them to make intelligent decisions, implement choices, and react quickly to underachieving students.

In testimony before the House Committee on Education and the Workforce in May 2000, Dr. Reid Lyon testified, "historically, education research has not had a significant impact on educational practices." One reason is that policymaker's do not have the resources or knowledge on the scientific finding (if there are any) and, therefore, frequently rely on soft information and marketing promotions. Thus, their decisions are often based on incomplete and inaccurate data that reflects not what research has revealed, but on biases of program administrators and supporters.

POWER4Kids POINT: Lead by Dr. Joe Torgesen, the top reading researchers and leading scientists in the world will conduct the POWER4Kids Reading Initiative. Working together, this unprecedented corroborative of intellectual expertise will bring into being standards of EVIDENCE to assist educators in making decisions about how to improve student reading achievement-unbiased, independent and with the highest integrity of scientific rigor.

POWER4Kids POINT: Once the research has concluded, POWER4Kids Partners will mobilize this EVIDENCE into every community and school in this country, making these facts widely known and available. Teachers and principles have traditionally found it difficult if not impossible to access reliable information on effective practices. This little known fact directly hampers America's ability to improve learning. With POWER4Kids every parent and policymakers can demand and find the evidence-of-success from a program before a child wastes critical development years and is potentially lost forever in the system.

POWER4Kids POINT: The knowledge gained from the POWER4Kids Initiative will be used to Empower The Teachers with awareness and professional development on the programs, methods and strategies found to be superior in producing lifelong reading skills. With training, practice and feedback, both preservice teachers and inservice teachers will help change the course of education. America's teachers are ready for the facts and eager to begin.