Participants came from all five River Region Counties, Autauga, Elmore, Lowndes, Macon, and Montgomery, including area school superintendents and state agency leaders. The River Region United Way hosted the Formation Institute as part of its Bold Goal initiative. It was co-sponsored by MGMWERX and Alabama Power.
Attendees at the Formation Institute focused on understanding the root causes and other circumstances that explain why some students struggle to read proficiently by the end of the third grade. Research shows that a student’s ability to read by the end of the third grade is a strong predictor of that child’s future success. Students who continue to struggle after third grade are more likely to struggle in middle school and high school, less likely to graduate from high school, and less likely to be college- and career-ready.
In addition to reviewing academic proficiency and other school-based data, Bold Goal Coalition members reviewed, among others, regional poverty, health, and food insecurity statistics. Coalition members focused their discussions on the relationship between the datasets, including patterns, systems, and other contributing factors that may explain why these outcomes exist. Coalition members then formed working groups to prioritize new and existing community-based initiatives to address the identified issues.
Among the themes identified by the Coalition were early education and care, family engagement and support, school attendance, out-of-classroom learning, and community partnerships. The Coalition established work groups for each of these areas and are identifying strategies to drive preferred outcomes in each area.
“There are many issues and challenges preventing children from learning to read by the end of the third grade,” said Ron Simmons, president & CEO of the River Region United Way. “No one person or group can solve these issues by themselves. What’s important is that we agree on a common set of outcomes that we influence, and actively work towards achieving them in service of our children.”
Longleaf Strategies manages the River Region Bold Goal Coalition and helped produce the Formation Institute.