The Mad for Reading campaign is in full swing, and literacy is being celebrated across the district! From exciting events to community engagement, this month has been all about inspiring a love for reading and fostering student confidence in their literacy journeys.

As part of this celebration, Madison Metropolitan School District (MMSD) is marking 21 years of the “Read Your Heart Out” initiative, bringing together students, families and community members to connect through storytelling, reading and cultural pride. This year’s virtual launch reached all of our elementary schools simultaneously, featuring special messages, performances by Mendota Elementary students and a story read by Superintendent Dr. Joe Gothard.

Nearly 1,000 community members, including MMSD high school students, participated in Read Your Heart Out, sharing their love of reading with our students.

In addition, elementary and middle schools took part in the Battle of the Books this month, a reading competition testing literary knowledge across various genres. Good luck to all our champions as they prepare for the citywide competition on March 6th and 20th!

MMSD’s Partnership with EL Education is Transforming Literacy Instruction

MMSD is revolutionizing literacy instruction with a powerful partnership with EL Education, a nonprofit rooted in the science of reading. This collaboration brings innovative, research-backed curriculum and hands-on teaching practices to K-8 classrooms, alongside professional development opportunities for educators.

Read the Full Story

Celebrate National Reading Month: Share Your Favorite Book!

We’d love to hear about your current read, favorite books, and why you love to read. Your recommendations will help inspire others to discover new stories.

Share Your Favorite Book

Lift off with Family Literacy Resources

Discover essential resources to enhance your child's reading and writing skills – both at home and in school. Our modules on English and Spanish literacy development offer activities to support phonemic awareness, phonics, vocabulary and comprehension.

Resources to Support Your Student at Home

Mad for Reading: Celebrating Women's History Month

This March, Mad for Reading highlights a curated book list in honor of Women’s History Month, celebrating the achievements, strength and resilience of women throughout history. From groundbreaking leaders to everyday heroes, these books inspire and empower readers of all ages to recognize the invaluable contributions women have made to our world.

Congratulations to Our All-City Spelling Bee Champion!

We’re thrilled to celebrate Benjamin Tekin, a seventh-grader at O'Keeffe Middle School, for winning this year’s All-City Spelling Bee! Benjamin outspelled 37 of Madison’s top student spellers to take home first place and earn a spot at next month’s Badger State Spelling Bee.

"Winning a citywide bee—competing against students from every school in Madison—was surprising, but I was really happy about it," said Benjamin. "I didn’t expect to win; I was just hoping to make it to state, but then I won, and I was like, wow!"

We also want to recognize Casey Barnhill, an eighth-grader at Velma Hamilton Middle School, who placed second. Both students will represent CESA 2 at the state competition on March 29 at Madison College.

A huge congratulations to all 28 MMSD students who participated in this year’s bee! Your hard work and dedication are truly inspiring.

Best of luck at state, Benjamin! The entire MMSD community is cheering you on!

Meet Lily and find out the book she is reading

Meet Lily, a 1st grader at Midvale Elementary, who’s been having a blast working on her Mad for Reading bingo card! She’s one of the many students getting excited about reading, and we couldn’t be more proud! Click Here to hear what books she is reading.

Download Your Reading Bingo Card