Statement About the Formation of a National Reading Council

IN MY message to Congress on education reform this past March, I proposed that we take new steps to achieve the Right to Read for every young American. In that same message, I also earmarked additional funds to be devoted to this effort. Today we are taking a very important next step toward the Right to Read objective. At my request Secretary Richardson and Acting Education Commissioner [Dr. Terrel H.] Bell are today naming the initial members of a National Reading Council which will focus and coordinate the Nation's efforts in reading.

Waiter W. Straley, vice president of the American Telephone and Telegraph Company, has accepted my invitation to serve as Chairman of the Council. And I am pleased to announce that Mrs. Nixon will serve as Honorary Chairman.

The National Reading Council is a volunteer group of distinguished citizens from many different fields, including education, business and industry, government, labor, the arts, entertainment, sports, communications, and science. The Council will work closely with private and public organizations as well as professional educators and others to strengthen existing reading programs and to foster innovation in this field. In order to link the Council's work most directly to Federal activities in this field, the National Reading Council will report through the 'Secretary of Health, Education, and Welfare to the President.

I hope that the Council will serve as a catalyst for the Nation in producing dramatic improvement in reading ability for those requiring it, and in encouraging reading by all our young people. Although illiteracy is not generally recognized as a major problem in this country, there are millions of Americans who read poorly or not at all, and many more who have never discovered the pleasures of recreational reading. They include people of all ages, backgrounds, and income levels, and are found in rural, suburban, and urban areas.

The ability to read is essential to the fulfillment of each person's potential and I expect the National Reading Council, under Mr. Straley's capable leadership, to do much to enhance that ability. With its help, the Right to Read can become a reality by the end of this decade.