Education Commissioner Candice McQueen announced today the recipients of the 2016 Read to be Ready Summer Grant. Glenwood Elementary was one of the schools to receive the grant.Gwen Harrell and Amelia Bell are the directors of Glenwood’s program.
Earlier this year, in conjunction with the launch of the statewide Read to be Ready Campaign, the Dollar General Literacy Foundation gave a $1 million gift to the department to award for summer reading programs over the next three years. This spring, the department received over two hundred proposals and has selected 12 summer programs from across the state to receive funding. āWith less than half of the stateās third graders currently reading on grade level, we must approach reading in new and innovative ways,ā Commissioner McQueen said. āRead to be Ready summer grants will support individual communities as they tailor their approach to reading to meet the needs of the families they serve.ā
Read to be Ready is a coordinated approach to move third grade reading proficiency in Tennessee to 75 percent by 2025. The campaign seeks to raise awareness about the importance of reading, unite efforts to address the reading gap, highlight best practices, and build partnerships. Read to be Ready summer grants are designed to support students even after the last day of school.
āSummer reading loss can be devastating to progress made during the academic school year,ā said Mrs. Haslam. āWe are grateful to the Dollar General Literacy Foundation for partnering with us on this project. It is an important strategy for improving overall reading proficiency in Tennessee.ā
