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Civic officials from over 150 communities announced an agreement this week to place early literacy as an urgent priority. In response to findings that children who aren't proficient in reading by the end of third grade are more likely to struggle academically, this group is focused on promoting literacy in order to help these children advance and complete high school.

A press release announcing the agreement explains that two thirds of U.S. students don't become proficient readers in the early grades. Schools, it seems, can't remedy this problem without community support.

The communities who are pledging their support for this initiative represent 36 states and millions of school children, and are currently developing strategies to tackle the underlying issues that prevent children from learning to read:

• School readiness
• School attendance
• Summer learning

Making literacy a priority

The communities that are part of this commitment have indicated that they intend to apply for the 2012 All-America City Awards – awards--awards that are granted to 10 communities that develop "comprehensive, realistic, and sustainable plans" for dealing with the literacy hurdles listed above, the release explains.

"Any community that works collectively and passionately to get all children reading and succeeding in school will see tremendous benefits," Gloria Rubio-Cortes, president of the National Civic League, said in the release. "Regardless of whether a community wins, this process will allow places across the country to develop ambitious, doable and coherent plans that can help close the achievement academic gaps, improve graduation rates, and guarantee a better future for our children."

An agreement between the National Civic League and the Campaign for Grade-Level Reading will allow these 150+ communities to join the Campaign's network. In doing so, these communities will receive assistance throughout the city awards application process as well as with developing community-wide plans for advancing reading achievement by the time children reach the end of third grade.

Why literacy is important

A report from the Annie E. Casey Foundation from earlier this year, entitled "Double Jeopardy: How Third-Grade Reading Skills and Poverty Influence High School Graduation," found that poor children who don't read proficiently early on are 13 times more likely not to finish high school than good readers who have never lived in poverty.

The concerted local action complements efforts underway by United Way Worldwide and the National League of Cities, both key partners in the Campaign. Other major partners include America's Promise Alliance, the United States Conference of Mayors, and the Council for a Strong America.

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