(A) The General Assembly finds that:

(1) reading is the most important academic skill and the basis for success in school and work;

(2) test results indicate that a significant portion of South Carolina students score below the fiftieth percentile on nationally normed achievement tests; and

(3) it is necessary and proper to establish a comprehensive long-term commitment to improve reading as well as overall academic performance.

(B) There is created within the State Department of Education the Governor's Institute of Reading. The purpose of the institute is to create a collaborative effort to mobilize education, business, and community resources to ensure that all children learn to read independently and well by the end of the third grade. The purpose of the institute also is to mobilize efforts to improve the reading abilities of students in the middle grades and accelerate the learning of students reading below grade level. The Governor's Institute of Reading is based upon a collaborative effort of education professionals and reading experts and designed to promote reading in every school district. To accomplish this mission, the institute shall:

(1) review the best practices in the teaching of reading;

(2) provide teachers with professional development and support for implementing best practices in the teaching of reading; and

(3) award competitive grants to school districts for designing and providing a comprehensive approach to reading instruction based on best practices.

The State Board of Education shall develop guidelines for administering and allocating funds for the Governor's Institute of Reading. Grants must be awarded, beginning with fiscal year 1999-2000, to districts for implementing programs designed to achieve exemplary reading. The department may carry forward any unexpended appropriations to be used for this same purpose from fiscal year to fiscal year.

HISTORY: 1999 Act No. 100, Part II, Section 46; 2000 Act No. 393, Section 7.