Join the others who have taken the pledge:

JIM BATORY, Tiffany Justice, Robyn Bethel, kayla poindexter, Vero Beach Museum of Art, Liane McMullen, Judy Whalen, Kenny Carmichael, Indian River County Lawyers Auxiliary, Erica Thomas, Tami Haffield, sharon richards, Healthy Families, -1' 1, Nancy Prizito, LaTanya Morgan, Angel Maldonado, Gabrielle Wagner, Shariea Shoatz, Di Pugh, Narda Pitkethly, Annie Brown, Donna Hedgecock, TLA, Carol David, Tracey Barker, Ralph Autullo, Margaret Dawson-Brown, yaquelin andrade, sharon butler, Alaina McCloud, keesha trusty, Emily Wick, Megan Falcone, Kelly Palmer, Lisa Guilmette, Kim Brady, Deirdre Creech, Vero Equine Riding Academy , Mark yBzNyaFpSKdSM, STEPHANIE CLARK, Boys & Girls Clubs of Indian River County, Susan Rosier, Kristen Jones, Whole Child Indian River, Maria Ortiz, Samantha Breen, Lillian Marsiglia, Becky Levesque, Keondra Eberhardt, Andrea Cosner, Dasie Hope Center, charlene bentien, Brittany Lindsey, Dorie Shemo, Lisa Bishop, Jennifer Seifstein, matt KdPIOvmNNItBy, valerie conway, tommy collettit, Kaori Fischer, LaTanya Gibson, joshua poindexter, Katrena McMahan, SHARYN A HAWKER, Diane Donar, Jennifer Steele, mardy hall, Emily Jarrett, Casey Dunn, parker hammond, Ronda Weaver, Gloria Luna, Susan Del Tufo, Patrick Toole, cheryl gondek, Karen Taylor, Sherrie Hale, Krishna Patel, Mike Gaudio, Heather Young, Kelli Mejia, Sonja Phillips, Jennifer Roberts, Matt McManus, Katherine Wolf, 1 -1', Doug Glenn, Farrah Lemanski, FELLSMERE ELEMENTARY, ggdxfg fdgfh, Celeste McWilliams, Heather Thompson, Kelly Palmer, LaTanya Morgan, Nancy Sparkman, jacki decaro, -1' 1, Kayla Chitty, Bobbie Donelson, Shanti Sanchez, Megan Falcone, test test, Beth Livers, Tessa House, Mark Farrell, Kathy Minix, Indian River County Chamber of, 1 -1', Cindi Ellis, Nancy De La Hoz, Kathleen Nealy, Mary Strickler, Katie Collier, John obrien, Michele Sternberg, Elizabeth Stenger, Leslie Jones, Adam Faust, Mardy Fish Children's Foundation, Kevin Maloney, Dorothy Cominsky, jennifer roker, Debra Barnesd, Mary Anne Sitkowski, Sophie Wood, Helene Caseltine, Bridgette Diskin, Sharon Delo, Jennifer Durrett, Laura McGill, Traci McGough, Elaine McGinty, donna palmquist, Nancy Blessing, Rebecca Turner, Hollie McDougall, Mary Kramek, Clare Hughes, Mary Graves, Kerilyn Ngom, VBKA, Lisa McFaland, Fourth Quadrant Partners, Kristin Culbreth, Courtney Mellin, Sherry White, renee fraker, Christina Lindgren, Lorri Dior, Kay Yurigan, Mary Laquidara, belinda washimgton-davis, Ashley Farruggio, Ana Renuart, Thomas Moore, Indian River Taekwondo Langlois, Annie Brown, Michelle Chandler, Socorro Luna, Gifford Youth Activity Center, Amber Petry, Teri Dugan, Lenora Ritchie, Sharon Klein, GEORGE JETT, Angel Maldonado, Kristi Challenor, Jayne Becker, Elizabeth Pinkney, Maureen Nicolace, Rebecca Blair, Tara Miranda, Gloria Severino, Deborah Dillon, Nicolas ospina de la hoz, Chuck Evans, Theresa Wagner, Kaori Fischer, Rose Brickles, Lucy Roy-Delapaz, Nicole Piontek, Autumn Wheeler, Rhonda McGilberry, Sue Sharpe, 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211/Help Me Grow, Vero Beach Police Department, Lisa Barnum, Dr. Connie Proskovec, Karen Newkirk, buzz wurzer, Juelie Perry, Shannon Gillen, Kristina Trahan, Patricia Beaudoin, Milli Wenzel, Margaret Autullo, Sharon Klein, Gretchen DiVincenzo, Ralph Sunshine Acquisitions, tommy collettit, Brooke Flood, Kathryn Perez, Jeff The Bro, shelby dorris, Fidelity Investments, Jody Houston, Bill McMullen, Kirra OBrien, Harvest Food & Outreach Center, Growing Healthy Kids, Inc., Guillermina Walker, Fenia Hiaasen, Fellsmere Police Department FPD, JIM BATORY, Susan Rosier, Donna Hedgecock, Brittany Bailey, Pamela Miller, carrie fernandez, Sterling Bobbitt , Susan Del Tufo, Randall Hunt, East Coast Earthworks & Excavating, audrey colonna, Alejandrina Micket, Rachel Holpfer, Stacey Fletcher, Debra Schroeder, Crystal Gothe, Sandra Daniel, Diane Mahan, Toni Reukauf, Liz Tetreault, Devi Maharajh, Ann Mathis, Jeanne Prince, Heidi Lourie, United Way of Indian River Co., Jill Truax, janice pagan, Janie 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Home > News > Indian River Honored as a Pacesetter for Early Literacy Work

Indian River Honored as a Pacesetter for Early Literacy Work

School District of Indian River County

Mark J. Rendell, Ed.D., Superintendent

PRESS RELEASE

CONTACT: Flynn Fidgeon, PIO

Phone: 564-5527

DATE: March 9, 2016

SUBJECT: Indian River Honored as a Pacesetter for Early Literacy Work

Indian River County has been honored as a Pacesetter by the Campaign for Grade-Level Reading for making measurable progress on eliminating barriers faced by children from low-income families on the path to becoming proficient readers.

“Pacesetter Honors are among the highest awards presented by the Campaign,” said Ralph Smith, the managing director of the Campaign for Grade-Level Reading. “We are very proud of Indian River County and the numerous organizations and individuals behind them for joining forces and working tirelessly to uplift children and families. They remind us that we are seeing great progress and real results all across the country."

“What we should be proud of is that the culture of this community has changed to be one of collaborative learning and innovation,” said Barbara Hammond, Co-Founder of The Learning Alliance. “All who work on this across the community and within schools are to be congratulated.”

“This is quite a big deal,” said Dr. Mark Rendell, Superintendent of the School District of Indian River County. “It’s not a School District award, it’s a community award.”

In Indian River County, the Campaign is supported by The Learning Alliance, the Education Foundation of Indian River County, Indian River Community Foundation, The United Way of Indian River County, Literacy Leaders of Indian River County, The Early Learning Coalition, Kindergarten Readiness Collaborative, Vero Beach Museum of Art, Big Brothers Big Sisters and AmeriCorps Programs, Gifford Youth Achievement Center, Boys and Girls Clubs of Indian River County, Fidelity Investments, Ray Oglethorpe, Riverside Children’s Theatre, Indian River Chamber of Commerce, Smart Baby Ambassadors, Childcare Resources of Indian River, Feed the Lambs, School District of Indian River County, and many more literacy leaders in the community.

Reading proficiency by the end of third grade is a critical milestone toward high school graduation and success in later life because it marks the transition from “learning to read” to “reading to learn.” National tests show that two-thirds of U.S. fourth graders (four-fifths of whom are from low-income families) are not reading proficiently. Students who have not mastered reading by that time are more likely to drop out of high school and struggle throughout their lives.

“If we’re going to close the achievement gap, we need mobilized communities – like these Pacesetters – working with schools, city agencies, nonprofits, civic leaders and parents to focus on third-grade reading,” Smith added. “These Pacesetter communities inspire us to believe that great things can happen when all of us support parents, care providers, and educators, as they work to ensure more hopeful futures for our children.”

This year, 38 Pacesetter communities will be honored at an annual awards luncheon during the Campaign’s 2016 Funder-to-Funder Huddle in Washington, D.C., on April 7. Each Pacesetter will receive a certificate and special recognition banner to showcase their award throughout their communities.