Reading for the Future

The Achieve Brown County Collective Impact Partnership

November 14, 2024

Right to Read film showing and panel discussion shedding light on literacy crisis

“Once you learn to read, you will forever be free.” —Frederick Douglass

When a child can’t read, their chances of incarceration, homelessness, and unemployment increase. With over 60% of Brown County's third graders NOT reading proficiently, our community recognizes the crucial time we are in and the actions we need to take to support the future of our community and the success of our young people.

In October, the Achieve Brown County Collective Impact Partnership hosted it's first public showing of the The Right to Read film, highlighting the current state of literacy in our county. Read more...

More events, coming soon. We will continue to host The Right to Read film events in upcoming months. Our next showing will be in February, 2025. If you would like to participate, host or facilitate, reach out to Sarah Beckman.

Blog Post: Achieve Brown County hosts private showings of the The Right to Read film, shedding light on literacy crisis (August 2024)

Learn More: Right to Read Film Website

Quick Facts about Reading for the Future

Defining Proficiency: Student demonstrates adequate understanding of and ability to apply the knowledge and skills for their grade level that are associated with college content-readiness.

Achieve Brown County’s Reading for the Future Convening Brings Teams Together to Strategize Literacy Efforts

“Coming together is a beginning, staying together is progress, and working together is success.” —Henry Ford

On November 7, 2024, Achieve Brown County hosted its first-ever "Reading for the Future" All Teams Convening. A first of it's kind event for the Achieve Brown County Collective Impact Partnership, where multiple teams aligned their efforts toward a single goal—improving third-grade reading outcomes for children in our community. Read more...

Reading for the Future Teams

Reading for the Future (RFF) is a community-wide initiative to improve Kindergarten Readiness and Early Grade Reading outcomes in Brown County. Three teams have a shared purpose to initiate, embed, and sustain system-level changes necessary to improve early age language/reading skills and increase literacy rates across Brown County.

Reading for the Future Strategy

Quick Facts about Reading for the Future

Why focus on third grade reading? According to 2022-2023 data from the Department of Public Institution, only 36% of Brown County third graders are reading at or above proficiency. Reading at or above proficiency by the end of third grade is an important milestone in a young person's life. The shift from learning to read to reading to learn happens in fourth grade. This means, if a student can’t read proficiently in third grade, they will have a difficult time learning other subjects. Reading is a foundational skill that is correlated with future success, including high school graduation, and employment.

Upcoming Local Literacy Events

Give-A-Kid-A-Book

Give-A-Kid-A-Book is an annual campaign to collect and distribute new books to low income kids for the December holidays.

When & Where: Throughout the months of November & December

Facilitated by the Friends of the Brown County Library Learn More Here

Quick Facts about Reading for the Future

How long will it take the Reading for the Future initiative to achieve our goal? Decades. We are currently monitoring benchmark indicators but our BIG GOAL is to see all third graders reading at grade level by the end of third grade. Raising a strong reader begins at home and it begins at birth, 8-9 years before they reach 3^rd Grade. Some of our strategies are to start developing healthy reading habits for kids as young as a few months old. We will be able to monitor their progress, but won't be able to verify their success until they reach third grade, seven years in the future.

Who is the Achieve Brown County Collective Impact Partnership?

The Achieve Brown County Collective Impact Partnership is a community-wide, mostly volunteer, network of committed individuals and organizations that use data and rally community to co-create equitable conditions so every young person can thrive.

Our Collective Impact Partnership is the voice and commitment of our entire community's drive to change the way we support young people. We do this by committing to a shared community wide vision, tracking data on seven county wide youth outcomes, and taking action to create lasting change.

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Have thoughts on topics we should include in future newsletters? Let us know by responding to this email or reaching out to info@achievebrowncounty.org.