This issue of a monthly serial publication of the National Education Goals Panel (NEGP), which is available only online in PDF Format, examines efforts underway in Colorado, Maryland, and Montgomery County, Maryland to increase student achievement in reading (related to Goal 3 of the NEGP). After an overview, it discusses Colorado's efforts to produce fluent readers by third grade, focusing on state legislation establishing standards. It then discusses Maryland's efforts to boost reading achievement, noting that the state won a Reading Excellence Act grant to improve the reading achievement of students living in poverty. It also discusses the reading initiative of Montgomery County, Maryland, which focused on teacher and principal training to help all students learn to read. Background information on the NEGP and nine sources of information are presented in sidebars. (RS)