SKW Supports Mayors' Sacramento Reads Campaign

SKW Supports Mayors’ Sacramento Reads! Campaign

September 1, 2011, Sacramento, CA — Stafford King Wiese Architects’ (SKW) Director of Education, Tim Haley leads firm in support of Mayor Kevin Johnson’s “Sacramento Reads Campaign.” SKW is a full service architecture, planning and interior design firm, with a legacy of designing educational facilities in the Sacramento community since 1945. SKW’s philosophy toward designing schools embraces the fact that a well-designed classroom environment that supports the curriculum delivery improves learning for the students and increases workplace satisfaction for the teachers. Haley’s drive and passion for educational architecture is simply as, “It’s all about the kids!” which makes SKW’s involvement in the Sacramento Reads! campaign a natural fit.

FOR MORE INFORMATION VISIT: www.standup.org

Problem

In Sacramento only 35% of students are reading at grade level. This is unacceptable. Studies show that 74% of those who do not read at grade level by third grade will never catch up. Improving early literacy is an urgent need in our community.

Sacramento READS! Campaign

In response to these sobering statistics, the Office of Mayor Kevin Johnson is launching Sacramento READS!: Sacramento’s Third Grade Reading Campaign, a ten year initiative to ensure all children in Sacramento can read at grade level by the end of third grade. The campaign is a collaborative effort by multiple stakeholders across the county designed to address three challenge areas that have been identified as key levers for early literacy.

  • School Readiness - too many children are showing up for school not ready for what school has to offer.
  • School Attendance - too many children are missing too much school and too much instructional time.
  • Summer Learning Loss - too many children are losing too much ground academically during the summer.

Campaign Goals

  • Proficiency Goal: 80% of Sacramento third graders will read proficiently by 2020, with each district improving at least 5% per year.
  • School Attendance: 95% of Sacramento K-3 students will attend school 95% of the time by 2020, with each district improving at least 2% per year.
  • School Readiness: 80% of Sacramento students will enter kindergarten ready for school by 2020.
  • Summer Learning: 80% of K-2 students who are reading below grade level will attend a summer reading program by 2020.
  • Volunteer Goal: The Sacramento community will donate 500,000 volunteer hours each year to elevate early literacy by 2020.

Media Strategy

In order to reach our goals, the Campaign will partner with media outlets to support three of the five goals- the school attendance and the volunteer goal.

  • School Attendance: 95% of Sacramento K-3 students will attend school 95% of the time, with each district improving at least 2% per year.
    • Target Audience: Parents, grandparents and family members.
    • Message: Every day counts—all children need to attend school every day.
  • School Readiness: 80% of Sacramento students will enter kindergarten ready for school by 2020.
    • Target Audience: Parents, grandparents, family members, caregivers.
    • Message: Literacy begins at birth. Pre-school and Kindergarten are essential to a child’s reading success.
  • Volunteer Goal: The Sacramento community will donate 500,000 volunteer hours which is equivalent to $10,000,000 each year to improve early literacy.
    • Target Audience: General viewing audience from age 12-adult. Special focus on retirees, businesses and youth.
    • Message: Go to website and volunteer. Sample opportunities include library programs, reading with children and adopting a school.

FOR MORE INFORMATION VISIT: www.standup.org