Are you interested in helping to break the world record for one book read to the greatest number of children on one day, on October 6, 2011? Read for the Record, a partnership between Jumpstart for Young Children, the Pearson Foundation, and hundreds of nonprofit organizations and schools across the country, encourages record-breakers to spread the word that reading with a child before he or she enters kindergarten can improve his or her likelihood of graduating from high school by as much as 30 percent. For more information, please visit this Web site.
City, schools zero in on early learning
KPLU Radio recently aired this story about a new emphasis on early learning in Seattle. The City of Seattle and Seattle Public Schools, with the help of the New School Foundation, have entered into a five-year plan to improve achievement for kids from preschool to 3rd grade. By then, kids should proficient in reading and math. Says the Seattle Human Services Department’s early learning director, Bea Kelleigh, “If you don’t have fundamental skills by 3rd grade, you’re in a very tough situation.” A final draft of the five-year plan is expected by the end of the year.
