Reading Is Fundamental

(Fox News) - Louisiana Democratic Senator Mary Landrieu sponsored an unusual $2 million earmark to provide an experimental reading program to District of Columbia schools — just days after receiving $30,000 in campaign contributions from the company that runs the program and its employees.

The Washington Post reports Landrieu's support of the Voyager Expanded Learning program back in 2001 essentially forced D.C. schools to run a pilot program over the objections of teachers and administrators — since Congress controls the D.C. school budget.

Landrieu tells the Post she has long championed new approaches to education — and Voyager's founder says there was no link between the legislation and the fundraiser. The Voyager program has gotten mixed reviews from D.C. teachers and the Department of Education.