The GLR Campaign this week presented State Pacesetter honors to Iowa officials for the state’s leadership in addressing the challenges that keep many low-income students from learning to read proficiently. Gov. Terry Branstad accepted the honor, along with legislators, educators and policy leaders. The designation reflects both the sustained commitment of state policymakers to early childhood education and the civic engagement in communities across Iowa.

“Iowa leaders have set a high bar for education re­form and have acknowledged that early literacy is key to achieving that goal,” said Ralph Smith, the GLR Campaign’s managing director. “With measures designed to identify and help strug­gling readers succeed, the state’s broad plans for its schools are off to a promising start.”

Smith also visited the five six Iowa communities that are charter members of the Grade-Level Reading Communities Network:  Ames, Council Bluffs, Des Moines, Dubuque, Marshalltown and Quad Cities.