Week of December 4, 2017 1. GLR Communities Driving State-Level Action A growing number of communities across Iowa have stepped up in recent years to put a stake in the ground around reading proficiency. There are 12 Iowa-based GLR Campaigns already underway and more in the process of launching. During the Funder Huddle in Denver, two Iowa funders, the Mid-Iowa Health Foundation and the representative of an anonymous donor, described how their investments in grade-level reading inform state policy changes and promote capacity building across the state's GLR Network. • Moderator: Suzanne Mineck, Mid-Iowa Health Foundation Pacesetter Profiles - Iowa Communities 2. Statewide Messaging and Mobilization In 2014, responding to a growing body of compelling research on the importance of early brain development, First 5 California and Too Small to Fail partnered to launch a statewide media campaign that encourages parents and caregivers to talk, read and sing to babies and toddlers. Through television, radio and online media ads, the campaign delivers a wide range of early-learning tips, information, activity ideas and resources to parents, helping them encourage early learning and improve early vocabulary skills. This statewide effort is being leveraged by local GLR communities across the state, including Oakland and Santa Cruz. • Moderator: David Brody, First 5 Santa Cruz County Messaging and Mobilization 2017 Statewide Campaign (First 5 California) Pacesetter Profiles - California Communities 3. Setting the Pace in Arkansas On November 29, Arkansas was recognized by Ralph Smith, managing director, Campaign for Grade-Level Reading, as a State Pacesetter. The Arkansas Campaign for Grade-Level Reading is a thriving, collaborative effort that includes a “big tent” of over 35 organizations that believe the only way to make measurable progress on grade-level reading is to work collectively with families, educators, policymakers and business leaders around the state. At the beginning of 2017, Governor Asa Hutchinson and the state department of education launched R.I.S.E. (Reading Initiative for Student Excellence) Arkansas to create a culture of reading, educate parents and increase children's access to books. WHAT WE'RE READING! • On the RISE (Northwest Arkansas Democrat Gazette) • State Leaders Outline Goals to Improve Pupil Reading (Northwest Arkansas Democrat Gazette) • Scaling Up: How Nonprofit Partnerships Improve Chances for Growth (Philanthropy Journal) • Five Questions With: Anthony Maione (Providence Business News) ! QUICK REMINDERS ! Beyond School Hours XXI National Education Conference GLR Week 2018 — Save the Date! |