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DID YOU KNOW?
CHILDREN WHO AREN’T READING AT
GRADE LEVEL WHEN ENTERING 4TH GRADE
ARE FOUR TIMES AS LIKELY
TO DROP OUT OF HIGH SCHOOL?
WHO WE ARE: Read! by 4th is a citywide effort of 50
organizations, public and private, large and small,
convened and managed by the Free Library of
Philadelphia, aiming to majorly increase the
number of students in Philadelphia entering the
4th grade at reading level by 2020. This is the
largest effort of its kind in the city of Philadelphia.
Coordinated by the Free Library of Philadelphia
Committed to majorly increasing the number of children in
Philadelphia who enter 4th grade reading at grade level, by 2020.
FAMILY
ENGAGEMENT
AARP Experience Corps
YEAR-ROUND
READERS
AARP Experience Corps
American Reading
Company
Boys & Girls Club
Children’s Literacy
Initiative
ClearChannel
WHY WE EXIST: Slightly more than half of all
students attending Philadelphia traditional and
charter public schools enter 4th grade reading
below grade level.
• Research shows that reading proficiency by
4th grade is an important predictor of high
school and career success.
• For students who cannot read proficiently when
entering 4th grade, 74% will struggle in later
grades and will be four to six times more likely to
drop out of high school without earning a
diploma.
• Now is the time to make a change, to band
together, and to help our children succeed in
the future.
WHAT WE BELIEVE: Getting our city’s children to
read at grade level by 4th grade takes four
overarching strategies:
Family Engagement (Parent Activation)
Year-Round Instruction: (Focus on Summer
Support)
Active Attendance in School (Focus on
keeping kids attending school on a daily
basis, from an early age)
Evidence-Based Instruction for Readers
(Standardized and Streamlined Academic
Instruction)
ACTIVE
ATTENDANCE
Mayor’s Office of
Education
Parent Power
Children’s Literacy
Initiative
Philadelphia Youth
Network
Department of Parks & Rec.
School District of
Philadelphia
Drexel University
Diversified Community
Services
EARTHS
Education Works
Women’s Christian
Alliance
Education Works
Free Library of
Philadelphia
YMCA
Free Library of
Philadelphia
GreatPhillySchools
Learning Ally
Lenfest Center
Maternity Care Coalition
Mayor’s Office of
Education
Montessori
Parent Power
PCCY
Philadelphia Housing
Authority
Philadelphia Writing
Project
Please Touch Museum
Reach Out and Read
School District of
Philadelphia
Springboard Collaborative
Lenfest Center
Mayor’s Office of
Education
EVIDENCE-BASED
INSTRUCTION
Achieve Now
American Reading
Company
Montessori
Parent Power
Boys and Girls Club
Philadelphia Housing
Authority
Children's Literacy
Initiative
Philadelphia Reads
Free Library of
Philadelphia
Philadelphia Writing
Project
PhillyBOOST
International Dyslexia
Assoc.
Please Touch Museum
Learning Ally
Rock to the Future
Mayor's Office of
Education
School District of
Philadelphia
Montessori
Mt. Airy Schools Coalition
Springboard Collaborative
Nancy Scharff
Sunrise of Philadelphia
PCCY
The Notebook
Phila. Federation of
Teachers
Springboard Collaborative
United Way
The Notebook
Urban Affairs Coalition
Urban Affairs Coalition
Women’s Christian Alliance
Women’s Christian Alliance
YMCA
YMCA
Philadelphia School
Partnership
Philadelphia Writing
Project
School District of
Philadelphia
United Way
2020 GOALS
GRADE-LEVEL READING:
SCHOOL READINESS:
STUDENT ATTENDANCE:
SUMMER LEARNING:
Students entering 4th
grade will be reading at
grade level.
Our children are enrolled in
a high-quality pre-K program
at a higher rate than ever
before.
Challenges to Kindergarten
and 1st grade attendance
will be addressed more
effectively.
High-quality, literacy-rich
summer programs will be
more accessible for
children.