Reading Is Fundamental Launches Read for Success

WASHINGTON, Nov. 4, 2015 /PRNewswire-USNewswire/ -- Reading Is Fundamental (RIF), the nation's largest children's literacy organization, today announced the introduction of Read for Success, a ground-breaking program intervention designed to improve reading proficiency among K-3 students. Tested over a two-year period as part of an Innovative Approaches to Literacy grant from the U.S. Department of Education, RIF's evidence-based model is proven to increase students' reading proficiency and curb the "summer learning slide" – a contributing factor to the achievement gap. Prior to the research, an average of 80 percent of students from low-income communities experienced reading loss over summer. Not only did the model stem reading loss from 80 percent of students to 39 percent, 57 percent of students actually saw gains in reading proficiency through access to high-quality classroom book collections, summer books for students to choose and own, enrichment activities and professional development for teachers. With recent NAEP scores showing an average of 65 percent of students in fourth and eighth grade not proficient in reading, the new program intervention couldn't have come at a better time to address the literacy crisis in America.

"So many of our nation's students are falling behind academically," noted Carol H. Rasco, president and CEO of Reading Is Fundamental. "It's imperative that we do something to stop the cycle of illiteracy in our country. Read for Success is a proven program intervention with tested outcomes to help students become proficient readers, and represents one of RIF's most significant programs with immediate impact for our nation's students."

Read for Success is based on the premise of motivating students to read by providing access to and ownership of summer books of their choosing, professional development for teachers, high-quality classroom book collections and effective standards-aligned STEAM-themed (science, technology, engineering, the arts and mathematics) classroom enrichment activities that inspire learning.

"Hickory Public Schools participated in RIF's initial research study," said Dr. Timothy Sims, Federal Programs Director with Hickory Public Schools in Hickory, NC. "Our third grade students demonstrated three months of growth in reading comprehension over the summer and our third to fourth grade students made six months of growth. We are thrilled RIF is making Read for Success available to school systems and have adopted many of the learnings into our summer reading programs."

For 50 years, RIF has been a trusted resource for parents, teachers and educators to inspire children to read and learn. Read for Success is ideal for school systems, classrooms and community organizations that are looking to improve reading proficiency across a wide spectrum of students. The program intervention sells for $100 per student and is available now for purchase.

To learn more or purchase Read for Success, visit www.rif.org/readforsuccess.

About RIF
Reading Is Fundamental (RIF) transforms lives through the power of books. By providing children in need with access to books of their choosing, RIF empowers young minds to embrace the world of reading and develop a love of learning. As the nation's largest children's literacy nonprofit, RIF has provided more than 412 million books to 40 million RIF kids over 50 years, inspiring generations to read, learn and grow. Visit us online to learn more, www.rif.org.

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SOURCE Reading Is Fundamental

Related Links

http://www.rif.org