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Local communities are expanding their efforts to improve children's reading abilities. Popular grassroots initiatives include summer reading programs, book drives, tutoring sessions, and events featuring professional sports teams. Here are some examples of local literacy projects.
SuperKids Camp and Baltimore Reads
In Baltimore, Mayor Kurt L. Schmoke created a 1998 summer reading camp that linked the city library, The Baltimore Sun newspaper, the Ravens football team, and other organizations. Team Read '98 got 9,400 children to read nearly 58,000 books over the summer and gave Ravens souvenirs as prizes. SuperKids Camp, America Reads, Summer VISTA, Baltimore READS, and Parks and People Foundation involved another thousand third-graders in an intensive summer reading camp.
Baltimore continues its partnership with SuperKids Camp to reach 3,000 children in 1999. Another 1999 summer reading camp is run as a partnership between The Village Learning Center, Baltimore READS Reading Edge and the Margaret Brent Elementary School.
The city is also partnered with the Enoch Pratt Free Library. Young summer readers who read at least eight books will receive fun prizes.
Contact:
Maggi Gaines, Director
Baltimore READS
5 East Read Street
Baltimore, MD 21202
(410) 752-3595
contact@baltimorereads.org
www.baltimorereads.org
Birmingham R.E.A.D.S.
In Alabama, Birmingham Public Schools Superintendent Johnny Brown has made reading a priority for all students during the school year and the summer. Teachers, principals, school district office staff, parents, community members, business partners, librarians, college and university partners, religious leaders, city leadership, and employees are all an integral part of Birmingham R.E.A.D.S. Birmingham students from kindergarten through grade twelve are required to participate in 90 minutes of reading daily.
Birmingham students' enthusiasm for reading continues when school is out-Birmingham children read 307,675 books during the summer of 1998. In 1999, more than 5,000 students are participating in summer school and 2,500 more are involved in other learning activities such as Camp Birmingham, with ten campsites that focus primarily on reading.
Every schoolchild is provided with an age-appropriate summer reading list of 30 books. Three hundred students ages 14 to 15 received summer jobs to serve as America Reads Challenge Learning Partners. Also, the Birmingham Public Library has partnered with the schools to offer creative summer reading programs.
Contact:
Dr. Peggy Sparks
Birmingham Public Schools
P.O. Box 10007
Birmingham, AL 35203
(205) 543-4763
Fax: (205) 581-5003
Dr. Abbe Boring
(205) 581-8676
aboring@bhm.k12.al.us
ReadBoston
Nearly 50 percent of Boston's third-graders do not read at grade-level. Under the leadership of Mayor Thomas M. Menino and Superintendent Thomas W. Payzant, ReadBoston unites families, schools, and the community to help all Boston's children become able readers by third grade. Support includes research and referral help, workshops, financial assistance, reading tutors, and books for children.
A major thrust of the campaign is to promote more effective reading instruction in elementary schools. The Primary Literacy Project's list of seven essential elements of strong reading programs has been formally adopted by the school system. More than $7 million in new public and private funding has been allocated to improve reading instruction. Reading programs such as Success for All and the Early Learning Literacy Initiative are being implemented in at least 75 percent of the city's elementary schools.
The Boston Public Schools is intensifying its efforts to promote literacy in summer 1999. All second-graders at risk of reading failure are attending month-long summer sessions and will receive extra instruction in reading throughout the school year.
ReadBoston's focus has expanded to include family involvement. Home visiting programs, preschools, community agencies, and schools work with ReadBoston to develop practical strategies to engage families in helping their children become ready to read. In 1999, more than 6,000 families participate in home reading programs throughout the city. Recent community initiatives include giving 250,000 new books to children and placing 1,000 volunteers and work-study students in schools and community settings.
Contact:
Margaret Williams, Executive Director
ReadBoston
43 Hawkins Street
Boston, MA 02114
(617) 635-READ or (617) 918-5282
Fax: (617) 918-5475
www.cityofboston.com/readboston
Bright Beginnings
Bright Beginnings is a public pre-kindergarten program in North Carolina's Charlotte-Mecklenburg Public Schools. Focused on literacy, the program provides 4-year-olds with a literacy-rich, resource-rich, full-day school experience. Each school day is constructed around four 15-minute literacy circles, where teachers engage children in reading and literacy activities.
The school district has developed its own pre-kindergarten curriculum, content standards, and performance expectations that set high goals for every child. Pre-kindergarten standards have been developed in the areas of social and personal development, language and literacy, mathematical thinking, scientific thinking, social studies, the creative arts, physical development, and technology.
Supported mainly through federal Title I funds, the program currently serves more than 1,900 children. Plans call for reaching all 4,000 children in the school district who need high-quality preschool experiences to get ready for school.
The district collaborates with Head Start, special education, and other public and private partners. All teachers are early childhood specialists with at least a four-year degree, and are certified to teach by the state.
Bright Beginnings serves only eligible children who are selected according to federal funding guidelines. An initial program evaluation shows promising outcomes.
Contact:
Tony Bucci, Ellen Edmonds, or Barbara Pellin
Charlotte-Mecklenburg School District
Bright Beginnings Pre-K Screening Office
401 S. Independence Blvd., Suite 526
Charlotte, NC 20204
(704) 379-7111
www.cms.k12.nc.us/k12/curricul/prek/index.htm
El Paso Collaborative for Academic Excellence
This community-wide effort to raise student achievement is based on the belief that all children can learn, if given the tools and encouragement to do so. Based in El Paso, Texas, the collaborative aims to improve teaching and learning from pre-kindergarten through university.
Two-thirds of children in El Paso schools come from low-income families, and half enter first grade with only limited English, making them high risks for reading failure. Yet in only five years, the achievement gap between White students and Black and Hispanic students has been cut by almost two-thirds.
The collaborative includes businesses, local government, University of Texas-El Paso (UTEP), El Paso Community College, superintendents from three large school districts, and a grassroots organization. This team plays a major role in redesigning and evaluating the University's teacher preparation program and helping provide field experiences for prospective teachers.
UTEP has completely revised its teacher preparation programs. Faculty from the Colleges of Liberal Arts, Science, and Education are jointly involved in teacher preparation.
The College of Education has moved to a clinical, field-based model of teacher preparation, with University students remaining with the same schools for as long as three semesters. The dean of Education likens it to a teaching hospital program. The schools are committed to school reform, redesigning professional development, integrating technology, and building greater outreach to neighborhoods. Most students enrolled in the college and the schools are Hispanic.
Participating schools are given mentors who coach other teachers in improving instruction. UTEP faculty and outside experts offer institutes for school teams in reading, writing, and other core subjects. Technology is introduced early, with every first-grader obtaining an e-mail account. Parent centers offer instruction and engage families.
This project has attracted funding from the U.S. Department of Education, the Texas legislature, The National Science Foundation, The Pew Charitable Trusts, and other private foundations.
Contact:
M. Susana Navarro
Executive Director
The El Paso Collaborative for Academic Excellence
Education Building, Room 413
University of Texas at El Paso
El Paso, Texas 79968
(915) 747-5778
www.epcae.org
Al Chinii Baa
Al Chinii Baa, meaning, "For Our Kids " in the Navajo language, is a cross-age tutoring and mentoring program focused on reading skills of kindergarten through third-grade students in the Gallup, New Mexico area. Tutoring is provided by specially trained fourth- through twelfth-graders, parents, and volunteers. In support of the America Reads initiative, Al Chinii Baa has received a three-year grant through Learn and Serve America, part of the Corporation for National Service. The program serves more than 200 students.
Sponsored by the National Indian Youth Leadership Project, those who volunteer also take part in weekend instruction designed to build teamwork through camping, rock climbing, rappeling, canoeing, and other activities. Group sessions also give the volunteers an opportunity to learn and practice the skills needed to tutor in reading, such as how to use puppets in storytelling and literature activities.
Four elementary schools, the junior high and high school in Gallup take part in this program. A teacher at each school, provided with a stipend, is designated as a facilitator.
Contact:
National Indian Youth Leadership Project
814 South Boardman
Gallup, NM 87301-4711
(505) 722-9176
Fax: (505) 722-9794
waldenco@ix.netcom.com
www.cia-g.com/~niylp/index.htm
Houston READ Commission
The Houston READ Commission is a broad-based coalition of more than one hundred community-based literacy providers and adult education programs. The coalition is united in its efforts to achieve the goal of 100 percent literacy set by Mayor Lee Brown. In addition to adult and family literacy, the Commission is a partner in child literacy efforts through Houston Reads to Lead!, a volunteer initiative involving libraries, churches, the Girl Scouts, community-based organizations and schools.
The summer program is one of the largest sessions organized each year. During the summer of 1998, Houston Reads to Lead! reached 10,000 children. The Houston Independent School District was the largest partner, implementing the U.S. Department of Education's Read*Write*Now! program in many elementary schools. In 1999, 13,000 children and parents are participating.
Houston Reads to Lead! met its goal in 1999 of recruiting 20,000 learning partners, part of a pledge made to America Reads and America's Promise. The city will celebrate with a Summer Festival of Reading sponsored by AMC Theatres and Southwest Bell.
Houston Reads to Lead! 1999 reading season has included WNBA's Most Valuable Player, Cynthia Cooper of the Houston Comets, as its spokesperson. Cooper appears in public service announcements on Houston-area television stations. As Cooper says, "The key to one's ability in life begins with one's ability to read, to acquire knowledge and understanding."
Contact:
Margaret Doughty
Houston READ Commission
5330 Griggs Road, #75
Houston, TX 77021-3715
(713) 845-2551
info@houread.org
www.houread.org
Summer Reading Resources
Houston Independent School District
Jdean@houstonisd.org
FLASH Program for Parents with Limited English
The Families Learning at School & Home Program (FLASH) is designed to assist Florida parents of different languages and cultures. Its twin goals are to build children's literacy skills and get parents more involved in their children's schools.
FLASH targets limited-English-proficient Hispanic and Haitian parents and caregivers of students in kindergarten through grade 6 in Dade and Broward County Public Schools. It is a joint project between the school districts and Florida International University's College of Education.
FLASH has four main strategies. First, it aims to improve the literacy skills of families. Second, it aims to increase their proficiency in English. Third, it gives parents and caregivers specific skills and knowledge to enable them to play a more active role in their children's education. And fourth, FLASH works to improve the academic skills of the parents' children, who are learning English as a second language.
Evaluations of FLASH are encouraging. Parents showed significant gains in knowledge about the school and its functions. Parent involvement in school-related activities increased significantly, including time spent participating in school activities, volunteering at school, and helping children with homework. FLASH was recognized as an Academic Excellence Program in 1995 by the U.S. Department of Education's Office of Bilingual Education and Minority Language Affairs, which helped to fund the program.
Contact:
Dr. Delia C. Garcia, Director
Florida International University
Department of Foundations and Professional Studies
University Park Campus
Miami, FL 33199
(305) 348-2647
Ms. Wally Lyshkov
Assistant Principal
Dade County Public Schools
(305) 385-4255
Energy Express
Energy Express is a six-week summer reading program that seeks to feed the minds and bodies of young children in parts of rural West Virginia. It aims to meet twin challenges: the erosion of skills that makes summertime costly for new readers and the nutritional decline faced by students accustomed to receiving free meals at school.
College students are trained to serve as mentors for children in low-income communities. Mentors provide free books and exciting learning experiences to keep children reading. Activities include shared reading, writing, drawing and other creative arts projects. The mentors also provide two nutritious meals each day, ensuring that children can focus on feeding their imaginations.
Energy Express partners with AmeriCorps to help support the hundreds of West Virginia college students who serve as mentors. The project focuses on developing strong partnerships at the local level between schools, parents, communities, and state agencies and organizations.
Contact:
Ruthellen Phillips
Energy Express
West Virginia University
407 Knapp Hall, P.O. Box 6031
Morgantown, WV 26506-6031
(304) 293-2694
rphillips@wvu.edu
NashvilleREAD
NashvilleREAD targets children from age three through elementary school, with a focus on first through third grades. The mission of this program is to increase the children's reading skills and to support parents and caregivers in helping their children become proficient readers.
In the summer of 1998, NashvilleREAD reached 1,125 preschoolers in Head Start programs and 2,400 elementary school children in Title I learning programs. Public libraries and community centers in Nashville also provide summer reading activities for Nashville children. Partners who read with children 30 minutes each week include community volunteers, parents, AmeriCorps members, and volunteers supplied by Nashville's Reading Coalition members.
NashvilleREAD continued the program in 21 elementary schools during the 1998-99 school year. NashvilleREAD recruited, trained and placed more than 200 community Reading Partners in the schools to tutor along side 27 full-time Reading Coaches.
A June 1999 reading rally kicked off the summer reading season in Nashville. NashvilleREAD, the Public Library System, the Public School System and the privately funded STARFISH project teamed up to keep kids reading while school is out of session. National service members of the Summer VISTA and AmeriCorps programs participate. Parents and other adults are recruited and trained to read to children at least 30 minutes per day for seven weeks of summer fun. Three parent education seminars will focus on reading.
Contact:
Carol Thigpin, Executive Director
NashvilleREAD
1701 West End Avenue, Suite 100
Nashville, TN 37203
(615) 255-4982
NashREAD@aol.com
www.nashvilleread.citysearch.com
New Orleans Reads and Give Yourself a Break, Get a Library Card
New Orleans Reads is a partnership of the Office of Mayor Marc Morial, the New Orleans Public Schools, the New Orleans Enterprise Community and other business and community-based agencies. Many reading programs are active within Orleans Parish, and the City sponsors two extended-day programs. The Extended-Day Reading Intervention Program targets the lowest performing 15 schools in New Orleans and offers six hours of after-school reading intervention per week. The Safe Harbor Program conducts after-school tutorials in language arts and math four days per week in eight Enterprise Community neighborhoods.
Another popular program is the Mayor Marc H. Morial Give Yourself a Break, Get a Library Card program which issued 145,000 library cards to all Orleans Parish residents through their sewer and water bills.
Contact:
Thelma French
Stacy Simms
New Orleans Reads
1300 Perdido Street, Room 2E04
New Orleans, LA 70112
(504) 565-6414
thelmaf@mail.city.new-orleans.la.us
stacys@mail.city.new-orleans.la.us
Philadelphia Reads, The 100 Book Challenge and Power Partners
Philadelphia Reads, under the leadership of Mayor Edward Rendell, is a collaborative effort of the School District and the Free Library of Philadelphia. Philadelphia Reads mobilizes individuals, organizations, institutions, community groups, colleges and universities, and communities of faith to provide time, materials, books, and other resources for in-school, after-school, and summer programs.
Philadelphia's the 100 Book Challenge is based on a simple philosophy: "The more kids read, the better they will read." The twin goals are to turn students into independent readers while developing a love for reading.
But the 100 Book Challenge involves more than each child reading 100 books. Teachers meet one-on-one with each child throughout the school year to start at the right level, check their progress, and provide individual instruction. Students read independently in the classroom for at least 45 minutes per day, and at home for at least 15 minutes per day. Children can choose what books they read according to ability, and are given opportunities to write about the books. All Philadelphia libraries carry program materials to encourage participation.
The 100 Book Challenge provides books for more than 200 classrooms throughout the city. Additionally, Philadelphia Reads supports a coalition of more than 75 community-based organizations by offering recruitment of volunteers, training, books and computers.
The Philadelphia Eagles Football team provides operating funds for The 100 Book Challenge, and other partners include Student Finance Corporation, VISA, Western Union and First Union Bank.
Five major law firms have begun the Power Partners program with books and weekly tutoring sessions at their offices. Subaru has donated a van for book drive pick-ups-17,000 books have been distributed to schools and community centers.
Philadelphia Reads is the beneficiary of the Starbucks Corporation's new "Out of the Park, Into the Books" program, which provides $5,000 for a designated reading program in each city where slugger Mark McGwire hits a home run.
Contact:
Marciene Mattleman
Philadelphia Reads
Office of the Mayor
Municipal Services Building
Suite 1000
Philadelphia, PA 19102
(215) 686-4450
Fax: (215) 686-4466
philadelphia.reads@phila.gov
The Gardner Children's Center
For this bustling child care center, serving children from 6 weeks old through seventh grade, literacy is the foundation of all learning. Each child is read to daily. Lesson plans are based on "Ten Best Books," which each teacher chooses to ensure that all children learn the joy of reading.
Every classroom has a designated reading area, and both pre-kindergarten and school-age children regularly visit the Biblioteca (the Spanish language library) for story hour and book selection. Teachers aim to make visiting the library a lifelong habit.
The Gardner Children's Center also reaches out to families to promote literacy. At orientation, all parents are given a book in their home language and coached on the importance of reading to and with their children. These messages are reinforced at parent conferences twice a year. A family literacy night is celebrated through a partnership with the local public television station.
Also, parents learn to share literacy activities at home with their children in English and Spanish. Children's books are distributed at the annual health fair. At holiday time, every child enrolled in the program, and each sibling, receives at least one book as a gift. The total environment communicates the value and joy of reading.
Contact:
Frederick Ferrer, Director
Gardner Children's Center Inc.
611 Willis Avenue
San Jose, CA 95125
(408) 998-1343
The Stanford Book Fund
In honor of Seattle's school superintendent, the late John Henry Stanford, the Seattle community rallied to re-supply the school system's libraries. Organized by the Alliance for Education in 1998, the Stanford Book Fund raised $600,000 from more than 2,000 community and business partners to buy a new book for every child in the public school system. This is in addition to $300,000 raised by Stanford himself from private donors for new library books.
The Seattle-based rock group Pearl Jam donated $78,000 from a benefit concert and encouraged radio station promotions that raised even more. The Seattle Sonics and the Washington State Lottery donated $100 for every three-point shot scored by Sonics guard Hersey Hawkins. Other major donors included Microsoft, The Ackerley Group, Boeing, and PEMCO. An anonymous donor gave $100,000.
In the spring of 1999, the first delivery of 31,175 books was presented to 100 school libraries. Each book bears a special Stanford Book Fund sticker with its namesake's quote: "The most important gift we can give our children is the gift of reading." More books will be delivered throughout the summer.
Contact:
Jacque Coe
Alliance for Education
500 Union Street
Suite 320
Seattle, WA 98101-2332
(206) 205-0329
Fax: (206) 343-0455
www.alliance4ed.org
Reading: Everybody's Business