Experts Explore Ways to Close the Achievement Gap for Low-Income Students
New York, NY (PRWEB) October 09, 2013 -- Amid concern about New York students meeting Common Core standards, Reach Out and Read of Greater New York and United Way of New York City are partnering to find ways for low-income families to prepare their children for school.
On Oct. 15, the two organizations will host “Growing Healthy Readers: Half-Day Literacy Conference.” The conference is open to the public, and aims to explore the role of parents, educators and advocates in closing the achievement gap for low-income children.
“We want to answer the question: what can we do to give all children a chance for academic success?” said Traci Lester, Executive Director of Reach Out and Read of Greater New York. “Our Half-Day Literacy Conference will bring together people committed to children’s literacy to examine every possible solution.”
The conference comes at a time when many city children struggle to meet grade level standards in reading. In some of the city’s most challenged school districts – District 5 in Northern Manhattan and District 19 in East New York, for example – only 1/3 of children score at or above grade-level in state assessment tests.*
Highlights of the conference will include a discussion of the national Campaign for Grade Level Reading and solutions developed to tackle school readiness, chronic absence, and summer learning loss. The discussion will be led by Lynda Baquero, Emmy award-winning correspondent with NBC4 New York, in conversation with Ralph R. Smith, Managing Director of the national Campaign for Grade-Level Reading and Senior Vice President of the Annie E. Casey Foundation.
Other topics to be covered include “The Role of Families in Growing Healthy Readers,” “School Readiness and Chronic Absence,” and “Community Solutions to Promote Early Wellness.”
“We at United Way of New York City are very excited to partner with Reach Out and Read to convene and discuss how to best help our students succeed,” said Sheena Wright, President and CEO of United Way of New York City. “Our students, families, educators and advocates face incredible challenges right now, and we are evaluating the tools and solutions needed to close the achievement gap.”
Registration for the conference closes on October 11th. For more information, visit: reachoutandreadnyc.org/conference.
Reach Out and Read of Greater New York prepares young children to succeed in school by partnering with doctors to prescribe books and encourage families to read together. Each year, Reach Out and Read of Greater New York serves a quarter of a million children in New York City, Long Island, and the Hudson Valley. Learn more at reachoutandreadnyc.org.
United Way of New York City mobilizes communities to eradicate barriers and create opportunities that improve the lives of low-income New Yorkers for the benefit of all. United Way of New York City envisions caring communities where all individuals and families have access to quality education and the opportunity to lead healthy and financially secure lives. Learn more at unitedwaynyc.org.
*Keeping Track of New York City’s Children. Citizen’s Committee for Children of New York Inc.
Asari Beale, Reach Out and Read of Greater New York, http://www.reachoutandreadnyc.org, (646) 237-0103, [email protected]
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