In 2012, the National Civic League will present its well-known All-America City Awards to cities that develop the best plans to ensure that more children become proficient readers by the end of third grade, a critical milestone for later academic success. Our webinar series, hosted by United Way, the National League of Cities, the National Civic League, and the Campaign for Grade-Level Reading, provides an introduction to the 2012 All-America City Grade-Level Reading Awards. Go to the archived versions of these presentations to learn more about why third grade reading is so important and the need to find community solutions to three significant barriers to reading achievement: the school readiness gap, chronic absence, and summer learning loss.

Communities applying for the award will be eligible for free, national technical assistance to create a community-wide plan to boost grade-level reading.Stay tuned for registration information. The archived version of the initial webinar, held on Aug. 25, is available here. Part Two, held on Sept. 6 and featuring local perspectives on the benefits of the All-America City Awards, is available here.