Here’s a guest blog from Richard Sussman , director of the Brighter Futures Initiative for the Hartford Foundation for Public Giving , which is part of Hartford’s on grade-level reading coalition.

As we await the Denver decision, it has become clear that what was once considered to be largely a public school commitment to proficiency for all students in the third grade (The Third Grade Promise) has become a Community Promise.

The core set of initial partners have continued to find ways of supporting each other’s strengths in promoting third grade reading proficiency.  For example, the leaders of a wide range of summer programs supported by the Hartford Foundation for Public Giving are meeting with reading experts from the Hartford Public Schools, who are offering to work with them on integrating literacy activities in their summer recreation programs.

Another development revolves around the work of the Connecticut Humanities Council in its family reading programs.  The council will be aligning its content and curriculum with the common core standards applied in Hartford and Connecticut, helping to meet the goals of the Third Grade Promise.

Clearly, the process of developing an action plan has started the ball rolling in Hartford  by building upon efforts already underway, but initially
disconnected.  We look forward to Denver and the possibility of being designated an All American City to catapult these efforts to the next level.