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SCOTTSBLUFF, Neb. — Gov. Dave Heineman said he is not out to find the best reading program in the state, just those that show the best results.

“The key is that there are a series of reading programs that work, Heineman said. “Gering does it one way, Scottsbluff does it another. As long as they produce good readers, that’s the most important thing. And that is what I’m trying to share with schools.”

Last spring the governor visited Gering Public Schools twice to see the results of its Direct Instruction program. On Tuesday he spent more than an hour at Westmoor Elementary School in Scottsbluff listening to students, teachers and administrators about the newly implemented Mondo reading program.

“I was very pleased and very impressed with what they are doing with reading,” Heineman said. “Reading is the most fundamental skill that kids need to have. When they can’t read, it’s very difficult to do math and science and all the rest.

“The more focus we can place on reading in our schools, the better off our students will be.”

Heineman said there is no one answer or one reading program that works the best.

“Every school is going to do it a little differently. My only focus is if you have an academic achievement gap and you’re not making progress — the status quo isn’t working — change.”

Heineman said that while Scottsbluff and Gering schools have different programs, the end result appears to be the same. “And I think that is what I’ve seen in both settings: teachers who are committed and believe in what they’re doing. When they are committed, the students produce the kinds of results that we want to see,” he said.