The Campaign for Grade-Level Reading (GLR Campaign) today announced the 2017 All-America City Award (AAC) finalists and Ames, Iowa is one of the communities being recognized. Ames Reads, the local coalition led by United Way of Story County, is cited for measurable progress in school readiness, school attendance, summer learning, and overall grade-level reading for children from families with low-income, as well as for exemplary efforts in promoting civic engagement and inclusiveness.
Ames Reads is a cross-sector coalition involving local government, nonprofit agencies, and regional organizations to ensure that all children (a) enter kindergarten ready to learn; (b) read at grade level by the end of third grade; and (c) graduate from high school. The coalition has successfully partnered with area health care providers, WIC, a federally funded health care center, human service agencies, and food pantries to engage and serve families with low-incomes. Local citizens, faith groups and businesses generously volunteer and financially support their work.
In the Ames Community School District (ACSD), sub groups of students from families with low incomes have shown improvement in multiple areas. From 2014 to 2016, kindergartners showed a 19% improvement in meeting the benchmark for school readiness and literacy. More young children attended school more regularly, as a result of ASCD’s use of an Early Indicator System to track children at risk of dropping out. Once a student is identified, district teams develop plans to address barriers to attendance.
Between 2012–13 and 2015–16 school years, the rate of chronic absence among PreK-3 students from ACSD families with low-incomes declined from 10.24% to 8.73%, a slightly more than 15% improvement.
In the Little Cyclone Summer Enrichment program, the percentage of children moving from not proficient to proficient increased from 10.11% in 2015 to 17.03% in 2016. The 3rd grade students at all elementary schools went from 80.19% proficient in reading in 2014–15 to 83.18% in 2015–16.
Twenty-seven communities across the nation are poised to receive the coveted AAC Award, a recognition created 67 years ago by the National Civic League. This year, the League is working together with the GLR Campaign to recognize communities that have made measurable progress for low-income children on the key drivers of early reading success — school readiness, school attendance, summer learning and grade-level reading.
“Recognizing these communities as All-America Cities is our way of applauding the civic leaders, nonprofit organizations and agencies, and corporations that have joined forces to build brighter futures for the children in their communities,” said Ralph Smith, managing director of the Campaign for Grade-Level Reading. “We are proud of these communities for answering the call and going above and beyond to ensure more hopeful futures for our nation’s most vulnerable children.”
This year’s AAC Award finalists represent the diversity of American communities from large urban centers to rural communities. Finalists will travel to Denver, Colo., June 14-16, during Grade-Level Reading Week and share their work with peers and participate in the event’s learning opportunities.
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