The Campaign for Grade Level Reading has named 32 communities Pacesetters for their efforts during 2018 to support early school success. Each community is being recognized for its progress in school attendance, readiness, grade level reading or math proficiency, or summer learning among children from low-income communities.
Two Pacesetters were honored for their achievements in improving attendance, along with progress in other key areas for student success:
- Indian River County, Fla. — Moonshot Moment Literacy Movement
- Suncoast, Fla. — Suncoast Campaign for Grade-Level Reading
The Florida Indian River/Learning Alliance found they achieved a 2-percentage point decrease in chronic absence. The community put in place a comprehensive data sharing agreement between the school district and a number of community-based partners. The partners have access to attendance data for the students they serve and are able to put in place an early warning and response system. The partners also implemented a comprehensive early literacy strategy and a number of other activities.
The Suncoast Campaign for Grade Level Reading also reported a 2-percentage point reduction in chronic absence. Suncoast implemented an exciting attendance messaging campaign that included a new jingle about the message, “Strive for Less Than 5 days absent,” and a music video. An attendance awareness poster contest was in place in four districts. Other elements of their strategy, such as improved mental health services, could also have contributed to improved attendance.
“Recognizing Pacesetters is our way of applauding and thanking the civic leaders, organizations and agencies that have joined forces to build brighter futures for children in their communities,” said Ralph Smith, managing director of CGLR. “We are learning with them and from them what it takes to move the needle and close the gap. Mobilized communities — like these Pacesetters — are essential to ensuring school success.”
CGLR has posted links to all of the 2018 Pacesetters. Find out more about each Pacesetter here.
The 2018 Pacesetters are:
- Avondale, Ariz. — Read On Arizona
- Broward, Fla. — Broward Reads
- Cedar Valley, Iowa — Cedar Valley Readers
- Cobb County, Ga. — Get Georgia Reading
- Council Bluffs, Iowa — Raise Me to Read
- Delray Beach, Fla.
- Des Moines, Iowa — Read to Succeed
- Dubuque, Iowa — Dubuque Campaign for Grade-Level Reading
- Flint and Genesee County, Mich. — Flint & Genesee Literacy Network
- Grinnell, Iowa — Grinnell Education Partnership
- Gulfport, Miss. — Gulfport Coalition for GLR
- Hartford, Conn. — Hartford Campaign for Grade-Level Reading
- Indian River County, Fla. — Moonshot Moment Literacy Movement
- Kansas City, Mo. — Turn the Page KC
- Lane County, Ore.
- Montgomery County-Dayton, Ohio — Learn to Earn Dayton
- New Britain, Conn. — Coalition for New Britain’s Youth
- Northern Nevada — Northern Nevada Grade-Level Reading Coalition
- Philadelphia, Pa. — Read by 4th
- Quad Cities, Iowa/Ill. — Quad Cities Campaign for Grade-Level Reading
- Roanoke, Va. — Star City Reads
- Salt Lake City, Utah — Promise Partnerships of Salt Lake
- San Antonio, Texas — ReadyKidSA
- Shawnee County, Kansas — Shawnee County Campaign for Grade-Level Reading
- Sioux City, Iowa — 0–3: Prime Age to Engage
- Story County, Iowa — Story County Reads
- Suncoast, Fla. — Suncoast Campaign for Grade-Level Reading
- Tahoe-Truckee Calif. — Tahoe Truckee Reads
- Virginia Beach, Va. — Virginia Beach READS
- Wake County, N.C. — WAKE Up and Read
- Whitfield, Ga. — Get Georgia Reading
- Wilmington, Del. — Get Delaware Reading Wilmington
;