The Barnum School
Taunton, Massachusetts
To provide individual attention to prekindergarteners who have difficulty learning important readiness skills, the Barnum School developed the Barnum Buddy Program. The school recruited high school, parent, and community volunteers as “big buddies” to be paired with a “little buddy.” These Barnum More...
Mary-Jane Webster, Principal
508-821-1282 mjwebster@tauntonschools.org
Type 3 | Elementary Grades | Reading and Literacy
Literacy, Inc.
New York, New York
Creating more reading opportunities for young children is the goal of the Community Literacy Champion Awards. More...
Marrakech Arbuckle, Program Associate
212-620-5462 marbuckle@lincnyc.org
Type 6 | Organization | Reading and Literacy
Lincolnshire Elementary School
Hagerstown, Maryland
To inspire this love of reading, Lincolnshire Elementary celebrated Dr. Seuss’s birthday with a schoolwide reading party. Fifty-two guest readers from the community were invited to come in and read their favorite books to classes. The celebration continued into the evening, when families also joined in the fun. More...
Sharon Ernst, FCPC
301-766-8206 ernstsha@wcboe.k12.md.us
Type 6 | Elementary Grades | Reading and Literacy
Col. E. Brooke Lee Middle School
Silver Spring, Maryland
Teamwork paid off at Col. E. Brooke Lee Middle School. When reading scores did not improve as much as the school staff had hoped, staff members formed study groups to look at the impact of poverty on student achievement and literacy development. Then the staff worked with the Action Team for Partnerships (ATP) and other school teams to develop activities that would motivate students to read independently and include parents in the school learning community. This collaboration resulted in a yearlong program to build student literacy by involving families. More...
L. Karen Greene Turner, Reading Specialist; Chairperson, Family Partnership Committee
Type 4 | Middle Grades | Reading and Literacy
Wing Luke Elementary School
Seattle, Washington
Wing Luke Elementary School wanted to help students and families connect with peers and learn new reading techniques. So, the Action Team for Partnerships (ATP), along with the Washington Reading Corps (WRC), developed Family Literacy Night as a vehicle to reach this goal. More...
Elizabeth Urmenita, ELD Teacher/Reading Specialist
206-252-7630 elurmenita@seattleschools.org
Type 6 | Elementary Grades | Reading and Literacy
Hill Field Elementary School
Clearfield, Utah
Even with 95 percent of its students living in military families and half of its students moving in and out each year, Hill Field Elementary was able to attract someone for its literacy night that everyone recognized—Dr. Seuss! The school’s principal dressed up as the popular children’s author, accompanied by some of his favorite friends, the Cat in the Hat, the Grinch, and Thing One and Thing Two, for a celebration of literacy and Dr. Seuss’s birthday. More...
Loren Clark, Assistant Principal
801-402-2350 lsclark@dsdmail.net
Type 4 | Elementary Grades | Reading and Literacy
Sherman Elementary School
Eau Claire, Wisconsin
Kindergarten parents at Sherman Elementary School are invited out to lunch three times each school year. It is not all leisure, however. They are expected to learn while they lunch and then practice what they learned. More...
Dawn Marcott, Kindergarten Teacher
715-852-4843 dmarcott@ecasd.k12.wi.us
Type 4 | Elementary Grades | Reading and Literacy
Washington Junior High School
Naperville, Illinois
“Spending an evening with my kids is always good,” said one parent from Washington Junior High School. The Parent-Child Book Discussion Group granted this parent and many others the opportunity to do just that. More...
Dawn Neylon,
630-357-9415 neylon5@comcast.net
Type 4 | Middle Grades | Reading and Literacy
Bryant Woods Elementary School
Columbia, Maryland
This year, the Action Team for Partnerships (ATP) at Bryant Woods Elementary School worked hard to improve its students’ language arts skills by engaging families in home learning activities. While the ATP developed reading nights, the team realized that some of the ELL families living farthest from the school did not participate. So, the team decided to take its new literacy workshop on the road. More...
Linda Hawthorne, Title I Teacher
410-313-6859 linda_hawthorne@hcpss.org
Type 4 | Elementary Grades | Reading and Literacy
Rolling Terrace Elementary School
Takoma Park, Maryland
Rolling Terrace Elementary has always strived to bring its diverse population of about 700 students together. The Reading Committee was looking for ideas to promote family involvement, especially among parents who are not native English speakers, as well as improve overall student achievement. Ultimately, the committee developed two programs to meet these goals. More...
Carl Baskerville, Principal
301-431-7601 Carl_L_Baskerville@mcpsmd.org
Type 4 | Elementary Grades | Reading and Literacy
Webster Stanley Elementary School
Oshkosh, Wisconsin
What is one way to boost families’ knowledge and excitement about literacy? Have an adult dress as a monster, and invite an NFL quarterback to speak about the importance of reading. The Action Team for Partnerships (ATP) at Webster Stanley Elementary capitalized on this answer and hosted a Where the Wild Things Are–themed Reading Rumpus. More...
Janice Welsh, AmeriCorps VISTA
920-424-0460 Janice.welsh@oshkosh.k12.wi.us
Type 6 | Elementary Grades | Reading and Literacy
Isaac Stevens Middle School
Pasco, Washington
Fiddle playing, s’mores, and a fireless campfire brought a new spark to Isaac Stevens Middle School’s recurring Family Reading Night. The literacy committee decided to give the night a new theme and plan interactive activities to fire up participants and attract new families. They decided on “Reading Takes You Places.” More...
Strategic Learning Initiatives
Chicago, Illinois
Helping a child learn at home can be entertaining and inexpensive. Just ask those adults who participated in “Reading—Using the Newspaper,” a workshop that reached more than 110 parents and other caregivers in Chicago schools. The workshop, one of more than a dozen offered annually by Strategic Learning Initiatives (SLI), emphasized the newspaper as an economical, ever-changing teaching tool offering many possibilities for learning—from improving alphabetizing skills to fostering storytelling. More...
Cris Whitehead, Director of Parent Engagement
312-738-0022 cckkh@hotmail.com
Type 4 | Organization | Reading and Literacy