Utilizing Learning Science to Reach Every Reader

In this May 18, 2021 Funder-to-Funder session, Jessica Tsang, Ph.D., explained how Chan Zuckerberg Initiative’s (CZI) investments seek to support the whole child through a lens of racial equity using practices based in the science of learning and development. Reach Every Reader is an example of how CZI focuses on translating research into practice and using practice to inform research while leveraging the power of technology to tackle tough challenges.

Elizabeth City, Ed.D., of Harvard Graduate School of Education (HGSE) provided an overview of Reach Every Reader — a cross-discipline collaboration between HGSE, Massachusetts Institute of Technology and Florida State University — and the ways in which it is creating research-based tools and resources to ensure all children develop the skills, knowledge and interest to read for learning and pleasure. These tools include the newly released free Pre-K Home & Family Apps, which are not only based in research but also validated through a nationwide study that included families of diverse racial, ethnic and socioeconomic backgrounds. She shared that additional resources are in development, including a K-3 Screener & Assessment Tool, K-3 Intervention and other resources for educators and families.

Beth Duda of The Patterson Foundation and Suncoast Campaign for Grade-Level Reading and Jenn Faber, the state lead of the Florida Campaign for Grade-Level Reading, shared their thoughts and feedback on the Reach Every Reader apps and approach, noting the importance of their focus on strengthening relationships and engagement between children and their caregivers and educators.

Adriana Chavarín-López, Ed. L.D., and Michael Vea, Ed. L.D., of the San Diego Unified School District shared how they are utilizing the apps as a part of their work to launch an innovative prenatal-grade 12 school in an underserved community. They described how they engaged families, community members and school and district leaders in defining the problem they wanted to solve and in crafting the solution, resulting in the creation of this new school with the goal that the approach can be scaled across the district and state.