Grade Level Reading Initiative launched at forum

The Annie E. Casey Foundation – Atlanta Civic Partners’ Forum on the Grade Level Reading Initiative was held Dec. 9 to launch a pilot literacy initiative. The focus of the public-private initiative is to move APS students from meeting state educational standards to exceeding them. Piloted at Dunbar Elementary School, the initiative also seeks to improve the literacy rate and increase the vocabulary of students who come from economically disadvantaged homes.

Studies indicate that students from underprivileged backgrounds are exposed to significantly fewer words and engage in fewer “vocabulary rich” conversations than their more economically advantaged counterparts. The program is aimed at remediating these inequities. Initiative partners include the Casey Foundation, the United Way, Bright from the Start, Sheltering Arms, the Atlanta Speech School and APS.