99-6
President Clinton later today joins (S1) _former__ presidents Ford, Carter and Bush at “the president’s summit for America’s future” (S2) __aimed_ at recruiting one million volunteer tutors to provide after-school, weekend and summer reading help for up to three million children. Mr. Clinton will ask Congress this coming week for nearly three (S3) _billion__ dollars to fund a five-year program called “America Reads”. The program would fund the (S4) _coordination __efforts of 20 thousand reading (S5) _specialists _and it would also give (S6) __grants_ to help parents help children read by the third grade, or about age eight. During his Saturday radio (S7) _address_, the president explained why the program is important. “We need ‘America Reads’ and we need it now. Studies show that if the fourth-graders fail to read well, (S8) __They are likely to drop off school, and less likely to succeed in life__. But, 40 percent of them still can’t read at a basic level.” Volunteer tutors, who provide community service in exchange for college funding, are being used in literacy and tutoring programs. (S9) _The program, initiated by President Clinton, has come on the criticism by Congress_. The president says many of the Philadelphia summit’s corporate sponsors will recruit tutors. (S10) _Dozen of colleges and Universities are prepared to send thousands of their students in support of the Program._
