Three T&L Conference Sessions That Will Help Educators and Parents Address an Inconvenient Truth
By Ralph Smith Managing Director of the Campaign for Grade-Level Reading The list of concurrent sessions offered at Teaching & Learning 2015 shows several that address an inconvenient truth: There is a large and growing number of children in the United States who will find it difficult to succeed even in what we now consider high-functioning schools with effective classroom teaching. Especially in the early grades, these are children who start school too far behind, children who fall behind because... ... More »

Grade-level reading discussed at White House
On December 15, 2014, Ralph Smith, managing director of the Campaign for Grade-Level Reading, participated in a panel discussion at the White House Summit on Early Education. The conversation focused on the expansion of private investment in early learning. Below is a summary of Smith’s remarks: Delighted to be here. Earlier today, presidential advisor Valerie Jarrett applauded the “coalition of the willing.” And I agree. When I look out at this gathering, I see the army... ... More »

Tweet up a storm
Flex those fingers and help us take Twitter by storm. In conjunction with the White House-sponsored Summit on Early Education, the Campaign for Grade-Level Reading has joined practitioners, advocates, policymakers and philanthropists to launch Invest in US -- a cross-sector initiative to promote greater investments in the early years. A Twitterstorm is planned today. Please consider adding your two cents (in 140 characters or less, of course). This is our chance to spread the word: School readiness is a key... ... More »

Everything you need to know to be a 2014 Pacesetter
It's that time again. The Campaign for Grade-Level Reading is gearing up to award Pacesetter Honors to local coalitions that are "leading by example" in their quest to remove barriers to early literacy. Got a story to tell? Take part in the 2014 self-nomination process described below. 1. What are the Campaign Pacesetter Honors? The Campaign Pacesetter Honors are among the highest awards presented by the Campaign for Grade-Level Reading. These awards recognize communities that are “leading by example” to... ... More »

English comes in many forms
One of the challenges facing any elementary school teacher in an urban, high-poverty environment is helping children who speak an African-American dialect of English.  Academic success requires students to demonstrate command of standard English grammar by the end of elementary school, and that’s not easy if students can’t understand a teacher’s academic language and a teacher can’t understand students’ speech. Despite some public controversies, the issue is not trying to teach young black children to abandon... ... More »