What is the goal of the program called "Reading First"?

A federal program in the United States called Reading First has received one billion dollars a year for the past several years. The money has gone to school systems to get them to use scientifically based ways to teach reading. The goal is to help all children read at or above grade level.
    The Bush administration’s education law, the No Child Left Behind Act of Two Thousand One, established Reading First. Now, the Department of Education has released findings from a study of the program.
    On average, teachers using it increased the time they taught reading skills. But the study also found, on average, little or no effect on test scores in reading comprehension.
    Critics call the program a failure and want Congress to end it. Congress cut the billion-dollar budget by almost two-thirds this year. But federal officials want to continue the program. The study did find improvements in some cases.
    The report examined the effects of Reading First grants in seventeen school districts across twelve states and one statewide program. The findings are for two thousand four to two thousand six.
    Another new report listed the books read most often last year by students in American schools. Students read these books and then take computer quizzes to see if they understood them. There are tests for more than one hundred fifteen thousand books.
    The book read most often by first graders was "Green Eggs and Ham" by Doctor Seuss. In fourth grade the top book was, not surprisingly, "Tales of a Fourth Grade Nothing" by Judy Blume. Three of J.K. Rowling’s Harry Potter books were among the top ten in grades nine through twelve. But the book read most often was "To Kill A Mockingbird" by Harper Lee. Others included John Steinbeck’s "Of Mice and Men," "A Child Called ’It’ " by Dave Pelzer and "Holes" by Louis Sachar.