Raising a Reader by Jennie Nash and See Johnny Read! by Tracey Wood are two recent books about the critical role parents can play in helping their children build a positive relationship with books and reading. Connect for Kids takes a look between the covers.

Reading scores are higher for fourth graders than in the past 10 years, but not significantly different than 1992 scores, according to the latest national report card on reading. Other findings are mixed, with few major changes in scores over a ten-year period. Virginia's scores for fourth and eighth graders rose slightly above the national average; the average California scores were lower than most other states.

Not only was it tough to find a publisher for her first foray into writing for children, but author Toni Morrison soon found herself facing some unhappy parents. The Nobel Prize-winning Morrison shares her latest kid-centric writing adventure with Connect for Kids' Rob Capriccioso.

Surely some expert somewhere has solemnly noted that raising children forces us to re-examine our most precious beliefs. But Connect for Kids Editor Susan Phillips never expected it to go this far--she looks at her own evolution from Kid Lit snob to Captain Underpants groupie.

Since 1983, "take a look, it's in a book" has been the joyous refrain of Reading Rainbow's theme song. Despite legions of fans and research that supports the TV show's claim of encouraging kids' literacy, time may be running out for the program. By Rob Capriccioso

Almost one in five graduating high school seniors has difficulty reading. While state averages vary, six million middle and high school students nationwide are at risk of dropping out of high school because they read below basic levels. This Alliance for Excellent Education report examines the mandates for middle and high schools under the new No Child Left Behind (NCLB) legislation. The bottom line: teachers know what works; what they lack are resources. Federal funds generally target younger kids, leaving older students in the lurch.

A Summer Book Club can help kids keep their reading skills in good shape over the summer. This Reading Rockets online club suggests books especially appealing to kids, and has three online discussions scheduled to engage children, beginning in July.

The National Reading Panel's 2000 report "Teaching Children to Read" is often cited as the basis for the Bush Administration's Reading First initiative, which emphasizes phonics instruction above other approaches. While the report found systematic phonics instruction very effective in teaching young and slow readers to read and spell better, its findings were not one-dimensional. For example, the report says, "programs that focus too much on the teaching of letter-sound relations and not enough on putting them to use are unlikely to be very effective."

In the article, "Teaching Children to Read: The Fragile Link Between Science and Federal Education Policy," researchers who re-analyzed the data in the Teaching Children to Read report conclude that combining language activities and tutoring with systematic phonics instruction can triple the effectiveness of phonics alone.

This brochure for parents describes the National Assessment of Educational Progress (NAEP), dubbed the Nation's Report Card, which assesses student performance in reading, math and selected subjects for fourth, eighth and twelfth graders.