Summary
Organization name
Read Fort Worth
Causes
Youth & Children
Operating Budget
$1,000,000 - $2,999,999
Address
3100 West 7th Street, Fort Worth, TX, USA Suite 245Fort Worth, TX 76107
Read Fort Worth tackles this ambitious goal by gathering research and data, listening to community input, and mobilizing data into action through a broad coalition of education champions and decision makers. We monitor indicators of early literacy success to inform strategic priorities and identify the most impactful strategies across districts. Data analysis includes findings from every ISD in Tarrant County with more detailed analysis for Fort Worth ISD, the largest school district in Tarrant County representing 22 percent of the county's approximately 346,000 students. The numbers alone do not tell us why these data trends exist. We gain these insights when we listen to the voices of those we serve to identify conditions contributing to the data findings. These findings provide specific ways to scale what works to other schools or ISDs in Tarrant County. When the data points to a successful intervention, we first work to inform education decision makers to adopt at scale, and when gaps exist, Read Fort Worth steps in to develop evidence-informed programming. These levers position Read Fort Worth to bring forth impartial, evidence-based recommendations to education decision-makers with the purpose of informing systemic improvements that have a track record of success in our education system. We work closely with school Superintendents, school board members, and district leadership teams. We build broader cross-sector support through publications, scorecard events, and our education allies.
Our Needs
Donate today! The first $10,000 in contributions will be matched $1 for $1.
How will your donation boost learning achievement for students as they return to classrooms?
The challenges that students face caused by the consequences of COVID-19 are historic and the road to academic recovery will require swift action and sustainable strategies for the long-haul. Read Fort Worth has spent time exploring the best solutions to combat the challenges our children face, and we hope that you will see that the plans we are putting forth are meaningful to match the significance of the moment. Each strategy is data-informed, research-validated, and takes measurable action to combat the projections - and put all our children on the path to academic success.
After School & Summer Scholars Collaborative: Research shows that strong literacy programs that extend beyond a child's time in the classroom boost students' reading levels! Read Fort Worth has a proven track record of success in our Summer Scholars Collaborative. In 2020, 100% of students in the program maintained or improved their literacy scores. As the need for enriching learning experiences grew this summer, our Summer Scholars Collaborative increased the number of sites by 426% (from 34 sites in 2020 to 145) to provide more opportunities for students to experience daily literacy instruction. We are extending these impressive results to after school.
• $25 purchases one child literacy resources that are specific to the child's grade-level
• $50 buys books and academic toys, such as alphabet flashcards, that boost a child's literacy outcomes
• $100 provides the data analytics to measure the impact of the program to a child's literacy improvement
Operational Support: Read Fort Worth's equation for how we do our work includes Gathering Research and Data, Listening to Community Input, and Mobilizing Partners to Action. To activate this equation for success, we depend on key resources.
• $250 supports the social media tools to to share evidence-based literacy resources with parents, including opportunities for summer and after school programming
• $500 supports annual teacher appreciation events to say "Thank You" for the essential work teachers continue to do for our students
• $1,000 supports monthly data analysis to monitor literacy progress using nationally normed literacy assessments
Mission
According to the most recent report from the Texas Education Agency (TEA), 36 percent of all third-grade students in Tarrant County are reading on grade-level. Research shows that children who do not master early literacy skills experience a decreased rate of reading skill acquisition, tending to fall further and faster behind in reading than their peers, a phenomenon called the Matthew Effect (Stanovich, 1986). Being below grade-level proficiency after fourth grade is akin of being shut out of content learning in class (Annie E. Casey Foundation, 2011). Read Fort Worth convenes cross-sector community partners with a common goal of reducing or mitigating the barriers students face to learning so that all students are equipped with the foundational academic skills to succeed in school - and in life. Students who do not read on grade-level by third grade are four times more likely to not graduate high school; setting them up to earn 40 percent less than their peers with a high school diploma and cost our society $260,000 in lost earnings (Annie E. Casey Foundation, 2010).
Read Fort Worth's mission is to empower all students to read on grade level by third grade to equip them on the path to success in school and life.
With strong research and evidence to support the correlation between early literacy and future academic success and prosperity, Mayor Betsy Price, Superintendent Kent Scribner, local business leaders, and philanthropic stakeholders established Read Fort Worth as a collation of cross-sector partners with a common goal of increasing the percentage of third-grade students who are reading on grade level.
Equity Statement
Read Fort Worth is an equal opportunity employer that does not permit, tolerate or condone harassment or discrimination against any individual for any reason, including, but not limited to, harassment or discrimination on the basis of race, color, religion, national origin, sex (including pregnancy, sexual orientation or gender identity), age, disability or any other status as protected by applicable law. Comments conduct or innuendoes that might be perceived by others as offensive, harassing, or discriminatory are wholly inappropriate and are to be strictly avoided. This policy applies to the Read Fort Worth employees, customers, vendors, and visitors to the premises. It is important that employees clearly understand the effects of discrimination and harassment. An employee's violation of this policy may result in liability to Read Fort Worth.
Media gallery
Organization Data
Fort Worth, TX 76107