The Campaign for Grade-Level Reading
The Campaign for Grade-Level Reading is a determined effort to mobilize philanthropic leadership around moving the needle on third grade reading over the next decade.
Building off the momentum of the Denver conference, the Campaign’s Network Support Center is launching a webinar series starting in August to help members of the Grade-Level Reading Communities Network pivot from planning to performing.
Webinars every Wednesday will deal with various strategies for building and sustaining coalitions and taking successful efforts to scale. Webinars every Thursday will provide strategies and tools for achieving community solutions in such areas as school readiness, attendance, summer learning and parent and family engagement. The sessions will include case studies from communities, starting with those recognized as the Campaign’s Community Solutions PaceSetters. The webinars, open to the 124 communities that are charter members of the Network, will continue through December.
For a detailed schedule and registration, please visit the blog post on our Campaign NING site. If you’re a member of the Network but haven’t joined the NING yet, email phyllis@gradelevelreading.net or ssparks.slg@gmail.com.
Target has made a generous donation of 1,000 books to communities across the country, honoring the work of the more than 1,000 peer reviewers who judged the Community Solutions Actions Plans submitted for the All-America City Award contest this Spring. Target will distribute these 1,000 books through its existing relationship with First Book, a nonprofit that has provided more than 90 million new books to schools and programs serving children in need. Target has long partnered with First Book to supply school libraries and children with reading materials.
Stay on top of all that is new with the Campaign and with grade-level reading by making a regular visit to the website: www.gradelevelreading.net. The site offers a comprehensive news source on issues related to early childhood, reading development, and achievement. Get the latest updates on federal initiatives, state campaigns, and local efforts, or read recent studies on child development and literacy.
The U.S. Department of Education has announced a $28.5 million Innovative Approaches to Literacy (IAL) grant program to support high-quality efforts to develop and improve literacy skills for children from birth through 12th grade in high-need schools and districts.
The grant description identifies several “competitive preference priorities,” including a focus on early learning initiatives, projects that target persistently low-performing schools and rural communities, and the use of innovative technology to improve literacy.
The Department expects to award as many as 30 grants to high-need local education agencies (LEAs), and between one and four grants to national not-for-profit organizations that serve children and students within the attendance boundaries of these LEAs. Scholastic has offered to partner with applicants, offering a compendium of research and its experience in book distribution. For more information about partnering with Scholastic, contact Maurene Jewel at mjewel@scholastic.com, Pat Cucci at pcucci@scholastic.com or Randy Pertler at rpertler@scholastic.com.
Applications are due by August 10 and can be downloaded here.
Cities of Service is offering a grant opportunity to help cities use volunteers to tackle pressing local challenges. The Impact Volunteering Fund, a $2 million fund supported by Bloomberg Philanthropies and administered by Cities of Service, will award grants ranging from $25,000 to $100,000, with larger amounts reserved for cities with multiple initiatives.
Cities interested in applying should read the supporting documents and submit their Intent to Apply by Aug. 17. The full application is due Aug. 31.
The 2012 KIDS COUNT Data Book found that more U.S. children are living in poverty, but also showed progress on several fronts. The proportion of children attending preschool increased as did the number of students graduating from high school on time, according to the data book released by the Annie E. Casey Foundation this month. “If I had to make one big bet, I’d ensure every child is reading proficiently by 3rd grade,” Patrick T. McCarthy, the Foundation’s President and CEO told Education Week. “We know this is a pivot point, that up until 3rd grade children spend a lot of time learning to read, and after 3rd grade they basically are reading to learn, relying on their reading skills to do well. If a child is not reading well by the end of 3rd grade, it becomes increasingly difficult for them to catch up to their peers.”