Results from the 2009 National Assessment of Educational
Progress (NAEP) reading assessment have just been released and
are, well, uninspiring. Reading achievement, despite significant
increases in spending over the past few decades and increasing
federal policy intervention in the past decade, has remained
flat. The lackluster results indicate that the top-down approach
of federal policy, characterized by No Child Left Behind and the
current administration’s policy, has not led to significant
increases in student achievement. But, despite the bad news,
there is an outlier among the states– Florida. The Sunshine
State’s results are a bright ray: Reading scores for all
students. While 4th grade reading across the country remained
flat, 4th grade reading in Florida rose two points and 8th grade
reading role 4 points over 2007 figures. Although these gains
are good, the improvements made by sub-groups (special needs
students, African American students, Hispanic students, English
language learners, and low-income