Investing in Teachers, Improving Early Literacy, 30 Years Strong
30 years ago, Children's Literacy Initiative started as an annual celebration of literacy and quality literature and has become a nationwide educational non-profit that impacts the lives and professions of over 70,00 students and more that 3,500 teachers per year. For 30 years, they have worked to transform and strengthen classrooms across the U.S., and for 30 years they have improved student outcomes by giving teachers high-impact instructional strategies.
PHILADELPHIA, Sept. 10, 2018 /PRNewswire-PRWeb/ -- Children's Literacy Initiative began as the hope of one librarian in Philadelphia in 1988. This year they are proud to celebrate their 30th Anniversary and what has become a national organization impacting the lives of more than70,000 students and 3,500 teachers per year.
As a librarian, Linda Katz often encountered children who were unable to read at the appropriate gradelevel and were uninterested in the limited books available to them. She did her best to get better books into the hands of children and share her knowledge and expertise with parents. These initial interactions were the start of a what grew into Children's Literacy Initiative.
"It became obvious to me that there were not enough children learning how to read at grade-level. I felt this was a national issue that required action! I simply asked myself what would I want for my own child, and I knew there was more to do with children learning to read," said Linda Katz, Founder
Linda, along with co-founders Pat Federman and Marcia Moon, went on to establish Rainbow Readers, the Children's Expo Book Fair, and Mrs. Bush's Story Time, a very successful radio show featuring former First Lady Barbara Bush. This terrific trio worked under one guiding philosophy, "What the best and wisest parent wants for his child, that must we want for all the children of the community. Anything less is unlovely, and left unchecked, destroys our democracy," said John Dewey
While beneficial, each of these endeavors shed light on a much larger issue– teachers were also in dire need of these tools. Educators attending the Expo continuously expressed the need for better training on how to teach reading to their students and an equally strong need for quality classroom book collections to do this work. Thus, Children's Literacy Initiative (CLI) was born.
Initially working with Head Start and childcare centers in economically disadvantaged neighborhoods, Children's Literacy Initative focused on bringing high-quality books into classrooms and providing teachers with training around best practices for early literacy instruction. The team quickly learned, however, that books and one-time trainings alone were not enough to create lasting change. Children's Literacy Initiative expanded its services to include sustained one-on-one coaching in the classroom, and worked closely with teachers to build sincere bonds and honest relationships.
Children's Literacy Initiative found that when teachers felt comfortable and supported, it could create effective professional learning communities that lead to changes in teacher practices and student outcomes.
"We realized our teachers needed more support. Our thinking changed and our model evolved, because we understood teachers did not need someone to evaluate them and supervise them. That wasn't our role. They needed someone who was going to hold their hand and be supportive, coaching them on what good instruction looked like and how to plan a lesson, and become 'think partners' to implement great lessons," said Pat Federman, Co-Founder
Through the years Children's Literacy Initiative has continued to grow and improve their methodologies as well as grow geographically to reach more at-risk students. CLI now serves prekindergarten through third grade students from Denver, Chicago, Broward County, Houston, Elizabeth, and, of course, Philadelphia. At their core, CLI still works under those founding principles, that when teachers receive the right combination and intensity of training and coaching, they will become exemplary instructors who can transform the lives of children.
Their work is nationally recognized for its impact on student achievement. An American Institutes for Research (AIR) report on results from a three-year, randomized control study concluded, "the CLI program produces substantial effects on teachers' classroom environment and literacy practices, which in turn, lead to measurable effects on average reading achievement in early elementary grades". CLI's approach and results are now part of the prestigious What Works Clearinghouse.
In addition, in 2017 the Library of Congress awarded CLI its top honor, the David M. Rubenstein Prize, for its outstanding and measurable contribution to increasing literacy levels; and in early 2018, Charity Navigator once again awarded CLI a coveted 4-out-of-4-star rating for its accountability and transparency.
"We know there is no stronger in-school lever for improving student learning than great teaching. When school districts invest in supporting teachers through CLI, we see more students learning to read and write. That means more teachers with early literacy expertise and more enriched classrooms where student learning thrives." – Joel Zarrow, CEO
Simply learning to read is an extraordinarily freeing act. CLI envisions a nation where every child, regardless of socio-economic background, has the power of literacy and the opportunity for lifetime success. For 30 years they have worked to transform and strengthen classrooms across the U.S., and for 30 years they have improved student outcomes by giving teachers high-impact instructional strategies.
For the next 30 years CLI will continue to enable children to read at grade level and ensure that teachers have the support they need to create powerful readers, writers, and thinkers.
For more information, visit http://www.cli.org.
SOURCE Children's Literacy Initiative
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