NEW: Worcester Education Plan Chosen as All-America Finalist
Thursday, May 31, 2012
The plan was picked from more than 100 applicants and was submitted by a coalition that included The Worcester Education Collaborative, the Worcester Public Schools, Edward Street Child Services, the Latino Education Institute, Worcester! The City That Reads, Charter Communications and other organizations.
“Worcester has a long proud history of educational achievement in our City,” Mayor Joseph Petty said. “We are home to Nobel Prize winners and internationally recognized colleges and universities. Our public school system is outstanding and always evolving to ensure every student is at their full academic potential. Nothing is more important and critical to a child’s success than mastering reading. Ensuring a child has mastered reading by third grade will guarantee a bright future filled with opportunities near and far. I am delighted Worcester’s plan was chosen from over 100 applicants. It shows our commitment to improving education in our city and our continued focus on our future generations.”
Worcester’s plan makes the city a charter member in a national movement of local leaders, nonprofits and foundations putting a stake in the ground on third-grade reading. That milestone marks the point when children shift from learning to read and begin reading to learn. Experts agree that students who haven't mastered reading by then are more likely to get stuck in a cycle of academic failure, to drop out of school, and to struggle throughout their lives.
Worcester was one of 32 finalists selected from a field of more than 100 entries. Winners will be announced July 2 in Denver, Colo. The award is sponsored by the National Civic League.
The Worcester plan adopts a tiered approach using three levels of strategies: universal (creating a culture of literacy and reading achievement) selected (focused on low income students and their families) and targeted (for those facing multiple challenges.) The plan addresses three of the components that are the primary responsibility of family and community: readiness, attendance and summer learning loss.
As a charter member of the Campaign for Grade-Level Reading Community Network, Worcester will have access to a Promising Practices Clearinghouse, an online help desk, peer-learning opportunities, meetings with national experts and policymakers, and a foundation registry designed to expand and replicate successful programs.
“The Worcester Education Collaborative continues to demonstrate its great value,” said Tim Garvin, CEO of the United Way of Central Massachusetts. “It has once again brought together a multi-faceted, comprehensive group of partners together, this time with the focus of ensuring that all children are reading at grade level. The ability to share expertise, energy, and ideas to address the needs of children is what makes our city great.”
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