Here are some Internet links to more information about reading programs and test results:

In 1997, amid the reading wars, Congress formed the National Reading Panel to evaluate the research on reading instruction and figure out which methods work the best. Three years later, the panel recommended instruction in five topics: phonemic awareness, phonics, vocabulary, fluency and comprehension. The panel's report is available on the Web site of the National Institute of Child Health and Human Development.
http://www.nichd.nih.gov/publications/nrp/smallbook.cfm

Reading First, established in 2002, is a federal program to boost reading performance in kindergarten through third grade in high-poverty schools. Program funding has totaled $1 billion a year. Recipients must agree to use "proven" methods of reading instruction, namely the five areas identified by the National Reading Panel. More information about Reading First can be found on the U.S. Department of Education's Web site.
http://www.ed.gov/programs/readingfirst/index.html

The National Assessment of Educational Progress, or NAEP, is called the "Nation's Report Card." The NAEP is administered periodically, in various subject areas, to a representative sampling of students nationwide. The 2005 NAEP, administered three years into the No Child Left Behind Act and Reading First, showed that fourth-graders' reading scores had increased one point on a 500-point scale since the 2003 test. Complete results are available on the NAEP Web site.
http://nces.ed.gov/nationsreportcard/reading/

In April, the U.S. Department of Education announced that a state-by-state analysis of test scores showed improvements in Reading First schools. The data can be found on the department's Web site.
http://www.ed.gov/news/pressreleases/2007/04/04192007.html

The International Reading Association, founded in 1956, provides information about reading practices and research to teachers, parents and others.
http://www.reading.org/