To help support literacy development, Tennessee is providing $100 million of COVID-19 relief funding and federal grants to launch the Reading 360 Initiative.
TENNESSEE, USA — Help is on the way to boost the reading abilities of students in Northeast Tennessee.
A new statewide initiative is providing resources to develop strong phonics-based skills.
To help support literacy development, Tennessee is providing $100 million of COVID-19 relief funding and federal grants to launch the Reading 360 Initiative.
“Children who are proficient readers in third grade are much more likely to have successful outcomes in their post-secondary life, economic health, things like that,” says Education Commissioner Penny Schwinn. “We also know that we have about 37% of students in our state who are proficient on our state tests in third grade.”
Preliminary data from the Department of Education estimated a 50% decrease in proficiency rates in third-grade reading and a 65% decrease in math.
“We are doing this because we are working with our districts and schools, not separate from them,” says Schwinn.
…
