White House to Host Early Learning Event
The White House, in collaboration with the U.S. departments of education and health and human services, will host an early learning event tomorrow in Washington. President Obama's domestic policy advisor, Melody Barnes, will join Education Secretary Arne Duncan and HHS Secretary Kathleen Sebelius for the event, which will be streamed lived online at www.whitehouse.gov/live beginning at 10 a.m. EST... More »

Grants Available for Libraries, Museums Advancing Early Literacy
Recognizing the key role museums and libraries play in sparking early learning, the Institute of Museum and Library Services announced Friday that it will provide up to $2 million in grants over the next two years to advance the mission of the Campaign for Grade-Level Reading. The grants will support collaboration between libraries, museums, and community organizations working to promote learning for children from birth to age 8. Libraries and museums will be encouraged to tackle... ... More »

Reading The Nation’s Report Card
As a nation we have invested significant energy, research, and resources into early literacy, recognizing that children who read well by the end of 3rd grade are far more likely to succeed later in school and in life. Yet new results from the National Assessment of Educational Progress show a flat line in 4th grade reading achievement in recent years. Why has progress stalled in 4th grade reading and what will it take to improve... ... More »

California’s Transitional K Gives Kids a Better Chance to Succeed
For years, California’s children had been starting kindergarten at a younger age than kids in almost any other state, often without the maturity and the social, early literacy, and pre-math skills they needed to meet the challenges of kindergarten. Under a new law, more than 700 school districts will be implementing transitional kindergarten, a significant reform to kindergarten education that bridges the path from preschool to K-12 and lays an early foundation for success for the... ... More »

More Than 150 Cities, Counties Pledge to Make Early Reading an Urgent Priority
Mayors, county officials, and other civic leaders from more than 150 U.S. communities have agreed to target early literacy as an urgent priority, recognizing that children who don’t learn to read well by the end of third grade are more likely to struggle academically and less likely to finish high school. The cities and counties, representing more than half the states and millions of school children, are addressing what is clearly a national crisis: A full... ... More »