Key data in the 2009 Competitive City Report, due out June 13, will document that Louisville needs to accelerate the pace of education improvement to move into the top tier among its peer cities.
Yet community initiatives such as Every1Reads prove that with enough people and focused effort, it is possible to move the needle dramatically on education and other important community goals.
Over four years of Every1Reads, the number of children in the Jefferson County Public Schools testing in the “novice” category in reading dropped by half – from 18,000 to 9,000. Among African-American students and lower-income children the improvement was even more dramatic.
On the other end of the curve, the percent scoring at the highest levels on the state CATS test rose by almost 20%. The same thing happened in writing scores – an unexpected benefit of Every1Reads.
Just last week, the Courier-Journal reported on another project that proves community support can make a difference. “Closing the Deal,” a pilot project designed to increase the number of students graduating from high school going on to college, provided extra counseling and attention to Valley High School’s 170-member senior class. College acceptances rose from 20 last year to more than 100 this spring.
Plans are to expand “Closing the Deal” to more schools next year, along with other work to better align high schools and colleges, and send more young people into the post-secondary system better prepared to succeed.
More than 10,000 Louisville residents helped produce the results from Every1Reads, volunteering 30-minutes a week to read with a child. Others donated money that helped buy new reading tools and instruction.
The results are important – and prove that significant change can happen, within the space of only a few years. Louisville needs more Every1Reads – and we need Every1Reads MORE!
What key strategies could make a difference in education attainment in our community?
What could we do as a community to persuade more young people to go to college – and help them stay there and succeed?
How could we particularly support students who are the first in their families to make the leap to post-secondary education?