Ralph Smith
Managing Director
Campaign for Grade-Level Reading
A brief opening note. Regardless of party affiliation, the constellation of people connected to the Campaign for Grade-Level Reading (investors, donors and partners alike) are elated by the affirming mention of third-grade reading in the recent State of the Union address. So are we. And on behalf of the CGLR enterprise investors and donors, we are delighted to acknowledge and credit the local stakeholder coalitions and state lead organizations as well as the funders who have fueled their respective efforts. Thank you!!
Please plan to join us. A few weeks ago, we confirmed that GLR Week 2024, the fifth edition of CGLR’s annual virtual gathering, is scheduled for July 22–26. The initial “Save the Date” note has gone out. Planning is underway, and an impressive array of thought leaders, leading practitioners and lived experience experts are assembling for the week’s conversations, presentations and events.
The year’s theme “Focus on the Gaps” builds on and carries forward the optimism embedded in the “Bright Spots and Silver Linings” theme of recent years. As importantly, “Focus on the Gaps” also reflects our continuing and growing concern about the large number of children stranded on the wrong side of the myriad learning, achievement, internet access and other opportunity gaps exposed and exacerbated by the COVID pandemic. Left unattended, these gaps will ensure the dismal prognostication that “the hurt could last a lifetime” will be elevated to prophecy.
This reality drives us toward a conclusion for which we are unapologetic: Without a commitment to become increasingly intentional and explicit about naming, mapping, shrinking and/or closing the gaps, many proposed “solutions,” however inadvertently, could grow, nurture and sustain the gaps. That is why we look forward to burdening GLR Week 2024 presenters and panelists with the expectation that they will share their strategies for attending to the gaps. By doing so, they will inspire us all to elevate our games and do the same.
Please stay tuned. As is our custom, this “Focus on the Gaps” GLR Week 2024 theme will serve as a provocation for much of our work during the coming year, including our GLR Learning Tuesdays webinar series, Funder-to-Funder Conversations and, unsurprisingly, future editions of the Managing Director’s Letter.
