ANOTHER BUSH SUCCESS A billion-dollar-a-year education initiative, which our dear president insisted be included in No Child Left Behind, aimed at improving the reading skills of low-income children has not actually improved the reading skills of low-income children. Reading First "program did not increase the percentages of students in grades one, two or three whose reading comprehension scores were at or above grade level," according to a report mandated by Congress. Like most Bush initiatives, Reading First fell victim to typical cronyism. Perhaps it should have been called Cronies First, Reading Second. [NYT]