Women’s Leadership Council of United Way, in Partnership with RI College Advancement Division, Invites Community to Participate in Statewide Forum on Grade-Level Reading Panel of speakers to present Rhode Island’s plan to ensure 75 percent of the state’s 3rd grade students are reading at grade-level by 2025; Rhode Island KIDS COUNT data to be made available
RISBJ Staff | Nov 15, 2016
Providence, R.I. (November 7, 2016) In a state where just one-third of students are proficient in grade-level reading by 3rd grade, the Women’s Leadership Council (WLC) of United Way of Rhode Island(UWRI) is partnering with the Rhode Island College Advancement Division to host a statewide forum on grade-level reading, titled “75 by 2025.” The event will feature a panel of speakers who will present Rhode Island’s plan to ensure that 75 percent of all third graders are reading at grade-level by 2025, as well as group breakout sessions for attendees to identify strategies to improve education in Rhode Island.
The event, which is free and open to all who wish to attend, will be held on Friday, November 18 from 6:00 p.m. to 8:00 p.m. at Rhode Island College’s Alger Hall. Light refreshments will be served. Those interested in attending the “75 by 2025” forum are asked to register online by November 17.
The forum begins with a panel discussion featuring Victor Capellan, Superintendent of the Central Falls School District; Melissa Husband, Executive Director of the Community Action Partnership of Providence; and Caitlin Molina, Executive Director of Providence Talks, moderated by Elizabeth Burke Bryant, Executive Director of Rhode Island KIDS COUNT. As part of the discussion, the panel will unveil Rhode Island’s plan to dramatically improve grade-level reading among third grade students by 2025 and make KIDS COUNT data available. Each table of attendees will receive a copy of the latest 2016 KIDS COUNT Factbook.
Following the panel, attendees will break into small groups to discuss strategies and actions in support of the WLC’s work to improve education, focusing on four areas: the Hasbro Summer Learning Initiative, Chronic Absenteeism, High-Quality Pre-K Programming, and School-Based Interventions.
“This event is a great opportunity for all Rhode Islanders to come together and lend their leadership to the community around an important goal—improving the lives of youth across our state,” said Lisa Guillette, Chair of the Women’s Leadership Council, and Executive Director of Foster Forward. “We know that, according to research, students who lack proficiency in reading by third grade are four times more likely to drop-out of high school and that’s a troubling trend we can only reverse by working together.”
UWRI’s Women’s Leadership Council is an all-volunteer group that harnesses the power of women and our communities to improve childhood literacy and help youth succeed in the classroom and in life.
About United Way of Rhode Island
United Way of Rhode Island (UWRI) has been working to improve the quality of life in Rhode Island for nearly 90 years. Together with its partners, UWRI is changing lives and strengthening our communities by investing in proven programs that work over the short-term, and are scalable over the long-term. For more information, visit www.LIVEUNITEDri.org.
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