It sounds simple: for children to do well in school, they need to be able to read well. In reality, two-thirds of fourth-graders in the United States do not read proficiently. That number is even worse for children from low-income families – 4 out of 5 fourth-graders from these families are failing to reach proficiency standards in reading. For these young students, dropping out of high school and struggling throughout their lives is much more likely than for students who are able to master reading skills by the end of third grade. These facts are dismal – but today, there is cause for hope and celebration.

The Campaign for Grade-Level Reading has selected 30 communities spread across the country to honor as Pacesetters for their significant progress in addressing reading proficiency for low-income children. Each of these 30 communities produced positive results for student outcomes in at least one of three focus areas: increasing school readiness, reducing chronic absenteeism and improving summer learning among low-income children.

The 30 Pacesetter honorees were selected from 76 members of the Grade-Level Reading Communities Network that participated in several activities including conducting self-assessments of progress, mobilizing localities through events such as Summer Learning Day and Attendance Awareness Month and updating their Community Solutions Action Plans. Ralph Smith, the managing director of the Grade-Level Reading Campaign, hailed the Pacesetters and their work as “nothing short of inspiring,” and added that they “represent hope for American educational attainment, particularly for children from low-income families.”

The Campaign also honored eight states – Arizona, Arkansas, California, Colorado, Georgia, Florida, Iowa and Ohio – as Pacesetters. All are pursuing a strategy of involving as many different constituencies as possible, from state policymakers to community organizations, local philanthropies and parent groups.

“These states all have put a stake in the ground around third grade reading,” said Smith. “As a group, they show that seeking to ensure more hopeful futures for vulnerable children is a bipartisan priority. And they are proving that there is no single pathway or approach and no substitute for hard work, collective action and a shared sense of urgency.”

All of the individual Pacesetter communities and states will be recognized at a reception on April 24, 2015 hosted by the Campaign in San Francisco. The 2014 Pacesetter communities include Fresno, CA; Hartford, CT; Sarasota, FL; Des Moines, IA; Paterson, NJ; and Roanoke, VA – for a full list and profiles of the honorees, click here.