The Campaign for Grade-Level Reading
October 2014
The Campaign for Grade-Level Reading is a collaborative effort by funders, nonprofits, government agencies, business leaders, states and communities across the nation to ensure that many more children from low-income families succeed in school and graduate prepared for college, a career and active citizenship.
Spreading the Word
October brought opportunities to explore the GLR Campaign with two important constituencies — public housing authorities that serve more than 1,000,000 children birth to age 8 and community foundations, which are a vital source of leadership and funding for local efforts. Campaign Managing Director Ralph Smith spoke during a plenary session at the National Association of Housing and Redevelopment Officials conference and at a CFLeads reception during the Council on Foundations Fall Conference for Community Foundations. Smith carried customized “newspapers” to each conference, spotlighting individual housing authorities and community foundations that have joined the Campaign to improve grade-level reading in their communities.
The Campaign also released its latest Innovation Brief this month, designed to show not just what and why but how parents and caregivers can bridge the word gap. The brief calls out innovative programs in Oakland, California; Seattle and Georgia.
Mayor Taveras Honored as GLR Campaign Pacesetter
The GLR Campaign was pleased this month to recognize Providence, R.I., Mayor Angel Taveras as a Campaign Pacesetter, in honor of his exemplary leadership in improving early literacy and child well-being in his city. Over the last two years, Mayor Taveras has helped launch Providence Reads and Providence Talks, two major initiatives designed to help children from low-income families succeed in school and later in life.
The award was presented at a reception hosted by the GLR Campaign that brought together more than 100 philanthropists, sector leaders and policymakers following the White House’s “Bridging the Word Gap” workshop (see below). The reception was co-sponsored by the Alliance for Early Success and the Piton Foundation, and underwriting sponsors included the George Kaiser Family Foundation, the Irene E. & George A. Davis Foundation and the Kenneth Rainin Foundation. Read more about the event here.
Become a 2014 GLR Campaign Pacesetter Community
Highly engaged GLR communities now have the opportunity to join Mayor Taveras in being recognized as a 2014 Campaign Pacesetter. The Pacesetter Community Honors are one of the most prestigious awards presented by the Campaign, recognizing communities that are “leading by example” to solve one or more of the challenges that can undermine early literacy. 2014 Pacesetter Communities must meet the following criteria:
- Participation in the GLR Campaign’s messaging and mobilizing opportunities, such as Summer Learning Day and Attendance Awareness Month.
- Progress demonstrated in at least one of the three community solutions — readiness, attendance and summer learning.
- A Plan that integrates healthy, on-track development; includes the perspective of parents; relies on disaggregated data; and focuses on proven and promising interventions.
Working with Network communities, we’ve created tools to help you demonstrate your success as you apply for the 2014 Pacesetter, including an online self-assessment tool and a downloadable PDF to help you update your Community Solutions Action Plan. Self-nominations are due by December 15.
World-Wide Shared Reading Experience Celebrates Children’s Literature
On Tuesday, October 21, students, educators, mayors and community members across the country stopped what they were doing to read a children’s book in honor of national “Read for the Record Day.” The annual event, launched by Jumpstart, promotes solutions to bridging America’s early education achievement gap through the celebration of literacy. Each year, the campaign aims to set a world record for the largest shared-reading experience, with millions of people reading the same book all on the same day. This year, the assigned reading material was Bunny Cakes by author Rosemary Wells.
NFL Icon Joins Grade-Level Reading Efforts
Philadelphia Eagles cornerback Brandon Boykin is encouraging parents to “#Dothe22” — spend 22 minutes each day reading and interacting with their children — as part of a new partnership with the READ! by 4th Campaign. Boykin will work with the Eagles Youth Partnership’s Book Mobile and make appearances at Philadelphia elementary schools to promote the importance of literacy. The Partnership also is donating 12,000 literacy posters featuring Boykin to be posted in classrooms, early childhood programs, recreation centers and libraries across the city.
Baltimore Expands Third Grade Reads Program
Baltimore Mayor Stephanie Rawlings-Blake is expanding Third Grade Reads, a program that enlists city employees to help elementary students who are reading below grade level, from five schools to nine. The mayor signed an executive order last year granting every city employee two hours of paid leave per week to volunteer as tutors through Third Grade Reads. Learn more about the program and its impact on the city here.
GLR Campaign Kicks Off in Manatee County
Manatee County, Florida’s Campaign for Grade-Level Reading kicked off this month as stakeholders came together to brainstorm ways to ensure that the county’s third grade students are proficient readers. Members discussed making summer reading programs more accessible for disadvantaged youth and using data analysis to reduce chronic absence rates as part of a collective effort to set students on the right track for success.
October’s Bright Spots Communities Bridge the Word Gap
Our Bright Spots Communities this month offer techniques to engage parents, caregivers and libraries in efforts to bridge the word gap:
- Fort Wayne, Indiana Let’s Talk®, an oral language development initiative in Fort Wayne, works to increase the quantity and quality of conversations between young children and their parents or caregivers in order to boost early learning and school readiness.
- Reno, Nevada Signs posted on Born Learning Trails in Reno offer learning activities families can engage in to boost their child’s development while enjoying the outdoors. The trails have also helped to involve community volunteers in boosting early literacy, school readiness and physical activity.
- Roanoke, VA is engaging both schools and libraries in a data-driven approach to boost third- grade reading proficiency using the Results Scorecard.
White House Event Convenes Experts to Help Close the Word Gap
On October 16, the White House and U.S. Departments of Education and Health and Human Services hosted a day-long workshop to explore some of the best practices to help close the “word gap” – the disparity in the number of words that children from low-income families hear and learn compared to their more affluent peers. Research shows that children who enter school with smaller vocabularies are more likely to fall behind. This achievement gap can persist through childhood and has lifelong implications for success, health and well-being. The event convened federal agency representatives, early childhood advocates, pediatricians, foundation representatives and others to share new research, resources and advice on how to best bridge the gap and ensure that all children are on track for success in school.
New Polling Data Shows Bipartisan Support for Investing in Early Childhood Education
Recent polls commissioned by the First Five Years Fund found that the majority of American voters support investing in early childhood education now in order to reap the later benefits of proven economic gains. The majority of Republicans, Democrats and Independents alike all supported early childhood education investments in general. In key battleground states like North Carolina, Florida, Ohio and Colorado, voters view early childhood education as a critical priority for the state and nation.
The Wish You Well Foundation provides funds to nonprofit organizations that promote family literacy in the United States. The grants focus on the development and expansion of new and existing literacy and educational programs, and generally range up to $10,000. Requests may be submitted at any time and are reviewed four times per year. For more information and to apply, click here.
The Laura Bush Foundation for America’s Libraries will award up to $7,000 to help libraries expand, update and diversify their book collections at schools where 85 percent or more of the students qualify for free or reduced price lunches. Schools serving pre-K through 12th grade students in all 50 states, the District of Columbia and all American territories are eligible to apply. The deadline is December 15, 2014. For more information and to apply, click here.
The Westinghouse N-Vision a Brighter Future Grant Program provides support to U.S. K-12 teachers and schools who want their students to learn more about STEM through creative hands-on projects. Projects that involve students directly, incorporate community resources and utilize interdisciplinary or team-teaching strategies are given priority. Three schools will be awarded $1,000 to complete their projects, and another $2,000 will be granted to each of these school’s science departments for their needs. The deadline is November 14, 2014. For more information, click here.
Rising to the Challenge: Re-Envisioning Public Libraries
A recent report from the Aspen Institute examines how public libraries play a key role in advancing the needs of the communities they serve, as well as how those communities can help their libraries thrive. “Rising to the Challenge: Re-Envisioning Public Libraries” offers case studies, from the Houston Public Library’s Healthy L.I.F.E. health-based literacy initiative to the virtual library opened by the Free Library of Philadelphia at the Philadelphia International Airport. The report identifies strategic opportunities that libraries and communities can address together such as aligning library services in support of community goals, increasing access to content, ensuring long-term sustainability and cultivating leadership. Read more about the report here.