The Campaign for Grade-Level Reading
December 2013
The GLR Campaign is a collaborative effort by foundations, nonprofit partners, states and communities across the nation to ensure that more children in low-income families succeed in school and graduate prepared for college, a career and active citizenship.
2013 Pacesetters to Be Announced in January
The Campaign for Grade-Level Reading will announce a new set of Pacesetter communities in January. The 2013 Pacesetter honors recognize the energy, persistence and creativity that the honorees brought to the mobilization effort during the course of the year.
Each of the Pacesetter communities participated in the nationwide celebration of Summer Learning Day and Attendance Awareness Month. Moreover, each community filed a Tell Our Story report on the activities and initiatives undertaken to improve grade-level reading among children from low-income families in their communities.
Handouts Detail “Network in Action”
Beyond the Pacesetter Honors, the GLR Campaign is capturing the work going on across theCommunities Network in a series of handouts. The first three feature this year’s engagement initiatives: Summer Learning Day, Attendance Awareness Month and Tell Our Story.
We expect to update these regularly to add communities and new engagement events, including the Read Across America activities planned for March. Feel free to download these handouts from our website. If you are interested in receiving printed copies, contact lpescatore@gradelevelreading.net.
Scorecard in Seattle Area Tracks Student Success 
The Road Map Project in the Seattle area released a report card this month measuring student achievement on third-grade reading, school readiness and a range of indicators from birth through college and career. The project, which is running the grade-level reading effort for Seattle and South King County, updated a report released two years ago designed to measure the collective impact of its cradle-to-career effort.
The report and additional information on The Road Map Project are available here.
Communities Receive Recognition, Awards
The past month has brought recognition for members of the GLR Network:
- Syracuse, New York, and the Literacy Coalition of Onondaga County were featured in a research study that showed the positive effects of book distribution programs and intergenerational literacy programs on refugee families.
- The Georgia Campaign for Grade-Level Reading was part of a collaborative effort that received a grant from the United Way of Greater Atlanta for an initiative that will educate health care professionals and parents on the value of and techniques for talking to babies and creating an enriching language experience at home.
- Several communities — Denver; Los Angeles; Long Beach, Calif.; Mesa, Ariz.; Miami; and Springdale, Ark. — were featured in a new report about family literacy released this week by the National Center for Families Learning (NCFL). The report shows how NCFL’s Toyota Family Literacy Program increased student achievement and expanded parent engagement.
Spread the Word About the GLR Newsletter
We hope you enjoy this month’s newsletter. If you do, share it with a friend or colleague who cares about third-grade reading. We would like to reach more educators, advocates, community-based organizations, business leaders, faith-based groups — anyone engaged in helping vulnerable children from birth through age 8. So pass the newsletter along and encourage people to sign up at: https://gradelevelreading.net/copy/about-us/contact-us.
To share updates on your community’s efforts, email Phyllis Jordan at pjordan@gradelevelreading.net.
District NAEP Scores Show Growth in Some Cities
Fourth-grade reading scores in many of the nation’s largest cities remained flat in 2013, but a few cities showed real improvement, particularly the District of Columbia and Los Angeles, according to results released this week from the Trial Urban District Assessment (TUDA).
The average score for D.C.’s fourth graders rose 5 points, while Los Angeles’s scores rose 4 points, the only significant gains among the 21 cities tested. Los Angeles saw gains among low-income students, as well. Atlanta, Baltimore and Chicago saw scores inch up, but the gains were not deemed statistically significant.
TUDA evaluates the success of selected urban districts on the National Assessment of Educational Progress. State-by-state NAEP results were released in November.
Stay on top of all that is new with the Campaign and with the progress of grade-level reading by making regular visits to our website: www.gradelevelreading.net. The site offers a comprehensive news source on issues related to early childhood, reading development and achievement. Additionally, get the latest updates on federal initiatives and state campaigns and read recent studies on child development and literacy.
Districts Win Federal Race to the Top Grants
Two school districts in the GLR Communities Network won U.S. Department of Education grants in the second round of the Race to the Top-District Competition announced this week.
The Houston Independent School District in Texas and the Springdale School District in Arkansas were among five winners who will receive grants to create personalized plans for student learning, improve student achievement and educator effectiveness, narrow achievement gaps and prepare students for college and careers. Houston’s grant will total about $30 million, while Springdale will receive about $26 million.
The Education Department received more than 200 applications for the latest round of grants and narrowed that field to 31 finalists, including school districts in such GLR Network communities as Baltimore; Chicago; Denver; Norwalk, Conn.; Phoenix; and Washoe County, Nev.
75 Nonprofit Organizations to Be Chosen for Grants to Support Reading Programs
The Big Read, a program of the National Endowment for the Arts, is accepting grant applications from nonprofit organizations to develop reading programs, based on provided themes, between September 2014 and June 2015.
These programs can be activities such as author readings, book discussions and other events and activities related to a book or poem from the Big Read Library. Eligible applicants include libraries, museums, educational institutions and art centers. The deadline to apply is January 28, 2014.
State Early Childhood Education Policies Focus of New Report
The Education Commission of the States conducted a scan of 2013 state legislative sessions, providing summaries of 38 bills approved in 25 states that relate to pre-kindergarten to third grade. The legislation included such topics as governance, funding, parent involvement and the creation of task forces. Click here to access the report.