January 27, 2021

Generous grant supports schools, nonprofits, city programs More children and families in Tempe are able to read and learn together thanks to the distribution of 16,000 new free books to …

January 15, 2021

As Arizona enters the second year of a pandemic that has strained the public health system and sent the unemployment rate skyward, Gov. Doug Ducey has unveiled a budget proposal …

November 10, 2020

Funding Will Help Schools And Students Close The Achievement Gap Through Targeted Intervention Programs PHOENIX — Governor Doug Ducey, in partnership with Arizona Superintendent of Public Instruction Kathy Hoffman, today …

September 23, 2020

Office of Superintendent Kathy Hoffman September 23, 2020 The U.S. Department of Education awarded the Arizona Department of Education (ADE) a $20 million Comprehensive Literacy State Development Grant (CLSD) to …

September 15, 2020

Reading is vital to a child’s ability to learn and be successful in school. And the early literacy skills needed to be a good reader — like language and vocabulary …

August 10, 2020

Many kids struggle with reading – and children of color are far less likely to get the help they need. A false assumption about what it takes to be a …

June 6, 2020

Parents who have watched their children struggle with online learning since schools across the country were closed in March are painfully aware that virtual classes are no substitute for face-to-face …

June 1, 2020

Educators and school leaders now have a roadmap to reopen in the face of a global pandemic. The Arizona Department of Education on Monday unveiled guidance for schools to reopen. …

May 28, 2020

Adult illiteracy directly affects an individual’s employment options, likelihood to live in poverty, likelihood to be incarcerated, access to adequate health care and health outcomes, and life expectancy. Generational illiteracy …

November 27, 2019

The Family Resource Center offers a wide array of free services to Blue Ridge parents and is now functioning as a pilot site for the Arizona Statewide Family Engagement Center …

November 6, 2019

On Tuesday, November 12, 2019, the LaundryCares Foundation will host a Free Laundry Day event at Local Laundry laundromat in Phoenix, AZ from 3 – 6 PM. Continue reading →

October 10, 2019

To break the cycle of poverty in Arizona, the National Center for Families Learning in collaboration with Read On Arizona, Arizona Department of Education, Southwest Human Development, Make Way for …

Opinion: It’s important to tell families why their kids should be in school. It’s another to get them there. Missing just two days a month from school, or at least …

September 9, 2019

The increased emphasis on chronic absenteeism at the federal and state levels has put a premium on effective strategies for getting students to attend school. Continue reading →

July 3, 2019

This year, 32 communities are Pacesetters for their work during 2018 to support early school success. Continue reading →

March 29, 2019

A new grant program aims to close the “achievement gap” for low-income Arizona students by getting their families involved in their education.
Continue reading →

March 27, 2019

A study of literacy programs for Arizona third-graders found that children who live in poverty or attend rural schools are at a disadvantage in learning to read. Continue reading →

March 8, 2019

Education experts say when preschoolers can’t read at an age-appropriate level, it can hamper their long-term success in the classroom. The program “Read On Arizona” aims to make sure every child in Arizona schools reads at the proper level by the time they finish third grade. Continue reading →

February 26, 2019

Child-development experts say allowing your toddler or preschooler too much time in front of the TV or digital devices can delay their development of critical life skills. Continue reading →

December 19, 2018

Drive until the yellow line on the paved road disappears.

Keep driving as the cement gives way to a dirt path. Pass the dumpster. Continue reading →

November 6, 2018

For an elementary school teacher who works with economically disadvantaged students, it can be discouraging to hear phrases like “significant achievement gap” or “30-million-word gap” in discussions of the reading and vocabulary development of our students. But research does bear those phrases out: There are clear trends of underachievement in academics for students of low socioeconomic status (SES). Continue reading →

October 15, 2018

PHOENIX – To improve education and literacy in Arizona, it’s important to first understand challenges different communities face. Continue reading →

September 8, 2018

Unveiling a renewed focus on “uniting for an educated and thriving community” and shining a spotlight on its early children literacy efforts, United Way of Northern Arizona (UWNA) kicked off …

July 16, 2018

For many children, summer break is long enough that they’ll start to forget what they learned during the school year, educators say.
Continue reading →

July 6, 2018

Learn more about Arizona State Literacy Director, Terri Clark, in this Frontdoors interview. Continue reading →

June 23, 2018

Children have more free time in the summer to have fun. From enjoying summer camps to video games and TV, there are endless possibilities of entertainment. But beware of summer brain drain. Continue reading →

April 5, 2018

Seventy. That’s the percentage of fourth graders in Arizona who don’t read proficiently.

If that isn’t alarming enough, a whopping 56 percent of third-graders failed the reading portion of the AzMERIT test in 2017, meaning they scored neither proficient nor highly proficient. Continue reading →

March 14, 2018

Talk is cheap – and priceless.

Just ask Denise Murphy, a veteran Taylor Hicks Elementary School teacher in Prescott who is in her third year as director of the Arizona Reads Now early childhood literacy project. Continue reading →

March 1, 2018

A new video designed to show parents easy tips for reading with their babies is now available from First Things First. The two-minute video can be viewed at https://youtu.be/28uZFnX6uls. Continue reading →

January 28, 2018

Low-income children who receive educational support in school and at home from preschool through third grade may be more likely to get a college degree than their peers who don’t get extra help during their early years, a U.S. study suggests. Continue reading →