OFFICE OF MAYOR or LEAD AGENCY
FOR IMMEDIATE RELEASE CONTACT: (Name of Communications Contact)
DATE:
COMMUNITY NAME Submits Action Plan to Improve Third-Grade Reading Proficiency
COMMUNITY joins more than 100 cities, counties and towns nationwide in the Grade-Level
Reading Network
CITY, STATE – Today a coalition of COMMUNITY’S civic, business, faith and nonprofit leaders
submitted an action plan designed to ensure that more children from low-income families
succeed in school and graduate prepared for college, a career, and active citizenship. Essential
to this end is mastering reading by the end of third grade, a critical step in closing achievement
gaps and ensuring more students graduate from high school.
The action plan submitted by (MAYOR/COUNTY LEADER/UNITED WAY/LOCAL COALITION)
secures COMMUNITY’s spot in the Grade-Level Reading Network, which provides our
community and more than 100 others access to experts, education leaders, and foundations
that want to invest in development of children from birth to age 8.
Currently, fewer than INSERT % of NAME OF COMMUNITY students are reading at grade level
BASED ON WHAT NAEP/STATE TEST
(INSERT QUOTE FROM CITY, COUNTY or COALITION leader ABOUT THE IMPORTANCE
OF THE ISSUE THAT REFLECT URGENCY TO GET ALL OR MOST THIRD GRADERS TO
READ ON GRADE LEVEL. MAKE UP YOUR OWN OR USE SOMETHING LIKE THESE:
“We know if children don’t read well by the end of third grade, they are less likely to catch up,
less likely to graduate from high school and less likely to find a good job. If we want to close our
achievement gaps, reduce our high school dropout rate and break the cycle of poverty in our
community, we need to focus on our youngest readers.”
Or:
“Over the past seven years, city school third graders have improved by an average of two
percent per year in reading. This may sound positive, but think about it from this perspective: at
the current rate, it will take 20 years before close to 80‐percent of our third
graders are on grade level. That’s an entire generation.”)
COMMUNITY’s action plan builds on the strong work already underway to support low-income
children from birth through age 8 and to remove the obstacles to reading proficiency. Much of
this work falls to the school district(s), but schools cannot succeed alone. COMMUNITY’s plan
brings together health providers, social workers, community nonprofits, faith-based groups,
business and civic leaders and local foundations to help address three challenges:
(USE THESE OR ADD A LITTLE DETAIL AFTER EACH ONE ABOUT YOUR PLANS)



School readiness– too many young children show up for kindergarten not ready to
succeed
School attendance– too many young children in grades K-3 miss too many days of
school
Summer learning– too many young children in the early grades lose ground over the
summer months.
Research shows that the end of third grade is a key pivot point, when children shift from
learning to read to the later grades when they are expected to read to learn. Children who aren’t
reading proficiently by that point are four times less likely to finish high school on time, one
study showed. If they are poor and not reading proficiently, they are 13 times less likely to finish
high school.
“When kids are not reading by fourth grade, they almost certainly get on a glide path to
poverty,” said Ralph Smith, Senior Vice President of the Annie E. Casey Foundation and
Managing Director of the Campaign for Grade-Level Reading. “If we can start early and align
our efforts, we can ensure more children read on grade-level. “
A SECOND QUOTE FROM ANOTHER PARTNER ABOUT THE EFFORT
EXAMPLE “NAME OF PARTNER/STAKEHOLDER ORGANIZATION is proud to participate in
this innovative program that brings together public and private partners. Nothing is more basic,
more essential, more foundational and more important in a child’s success in life than her or his
ability to read well.”
For more info on the local effort, visit INSERT WEB ADDRESS OF DESIGNATED POINT
ORGANIZATION THAT WILL ARCHIVE LOCAL CAMPAIGN DOCUMENTS, PUBLISH
UPDATES ON CAMPAIGN PROGRESS, AND ANNOUCE FUTURE CAMPAIGN EVENTS).
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