Read On Arizona

Every school day counts. September 29 is Chronic Absence Awareness Day in Arizona.

About 1 in 4 Arizona students in grades 1-8 are chronically absent, and missing too much school in the early grades makes it harder to become a strong reader by third grade.

This is a challenge we can solve together. Read On Arizona convened the state's first Chronic Absence Task Force in 2023, and that work produced the Arizona Chronic Absence Resource Guide with simple, proven ways schools and families can help students get to school and stay on track.

Arizona is making progress toward the Arizona Literacy Plan 2030 goal of reducing chronic absence to pre-pandemic levels, but there's still work to do.

Join the effort and explore the guide: lithubaz.org/chronic-absence

Thanks to our partners and task force members: Helios Education Foundation | Virginia G. Piper Charitable Trust | WestEd | Read On Southwest Valley | Southwest Human Development | Arizona Head Start Association | Arizona School Boards Association | Avondale Elementary School District #44 | Washington Elementary School District | ALL In Education | Tanque Verde Unified School District | Valley of the Sun United Way | Attendance Works | City of Phoenix, AZ USA | Governor Katie Hobbs | Arizona School Administrators | Arizona State Board of Education | Arizona Department of Education | Arizona PBS | Window Rock Unified School District #8 | Buckeye Elementary School District

September is Attendance Awareness Month, and it matters more for early literacy than many people realize.

Chronic absence means missing 10% of the school year, just two days a month, for any reason. Nearly 1 in 4 Arizona learners are chronically absent, and students who miss too much school in the early grades are at real risk of falling behind in reading by third grade.

This is a challenge we can solve by working together. Read On Arizona and our partners built the Arizona Chronic Absence Resource Guide with proven strategies for schools, families, and communities.

Explore the guide: lithubaz.org/chronic-absence

Read On Arizona joins many in mourning Dolly Parton. She believed every child should grow up in a home full of books. In Arizona, that belief shows up in the mail, delivering thousands of books to young children.

"The literacy skills kids need to learn to read start developing in their early childhood years, and the Imagination Library helps families make reading part of their everyday routines," said Lori Masseur, director of early learning at Read On Arizona.

We were proud to help coordinate the statewide expansion of Dolly Parton's Imagination Library, bringing free monthly books to families, including those in rural and high-need communities. That work happened alongside The Dollywood Foundation, Arizona Department of Economic Security, Arizona Department of Education, and United Way of Tucson and Southern Arizona.

Learn more:

Dolly Parton's book program helps thousands of Arizona children A program started by Dolly Parton, known for her kitschy fashion and genre-bending musical style, delivers thousands of books to Arizona children.

Missed our GLR Week webinar? The recording is now available.

On July 29, as part of the Campaign for Grade-Level Reading's GLR Week, we brought national research and Arizona action together in Aligning Evidence With Results: National Insights, Arizona Actions.

Literacy experts from The Center on Early Learning Success shared findings from their new state-of-the-field research brief on early literacy instruction, and Arizona partners and local leaders showed how that work is already taking shape here and how it connects to Arizona Literacy Plan 2030.

Watch the recording:https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=R1I5eK7XuNQ

"Why not our kids?" In the rural community of Fort Mohave, that question has transformed Camp Mohave Elementary over the past five years, earning national recognition among America's Best Schools and a spot on Stanford's Education Recovery Scorecard.

The progress starts with families and educators working together. As Principal Rick Cottrell puts it, "Six hours a day is not enough to truly build literacy." Through its Parent University, families get concrete ways to support reading at home. Inside the school, a data coach helps teachers see exactly where students need help, and struggling readers get daily small-group instruction.

At a school where 84% of students are economically disadvantaged, third graders climbed from a 37% reading passing rate in 2019 to 50% in 2024, above the 39% statewide rate.

Read the full Bright Spot: https://bit.ly/4iFsYEg

What does it look like when a whole school gets on the same page about reading?

At Village Meadows Elementary School in Sierra Vista, part of Read On Cochise County, every educator teaches foundational skills in the same sequence, an instructional coach turns data into a weekly plan, and grade levels align so students arrive ready for what comes next.

At a Title I school where 85% of students qualify for free or reduced lunch, 65% of third graders passed the state reading assessment in 2024, well above the 39% statewide rate. As third-grade teacher Danielle Frazier puts it, "I think any school can do what we're doing. And we're not done."

Read the full Bright Spot: https://bit.ly/4y6ESvo

Students are heading back to school across Arizona. Simple reading routines at home make a real difference for young readers – during the summer and throughout the school year.

Read On Arizona's Terri Clark shared her back-to-school tips on 12News:

Keep a daily reading routine, about 20 minutes a day for pre-K through third grade.
Introduce a new word each day to build vocabulary.
Be intentional about the skills behind reading: letters have sounds, sounds make words, words make sentences. Practice counting and early numeracy too.

Check in with your child's teacher so you know which reading skills they're working on and can reinforce them at home.

Find free tips for families at lithubaz.org.

Watch the full segment:
https://bit.ly/3UpcJRS

Read On Arizona! As Kids Head Back to School, Read On Arizona is Encouraging More Books Get you child ready for back to school season with more books to read

Read On communities across Arizona have been busy this spring. Read On Tempe marked 20 years of its AARP Experience Corps tutoring program, with more than 5,700 students served. Read On Flagstaff opened up free LETRS training for educators. Read On Pima supported educators navigating the K-5 Literacy Endorsement. From Mesa to Santa Cruz County, partners brought literacy programming directly to families.

Check out how local action is moving Arizona Literacy Plan 2030 across the state.

See more from Read On Communities across Arizona: https://readonarizona.org/news/read-on-community-highlights/

Read On Community Highlights | Read On Arizona Read On Arizona supports local literacy efforts through a network of Read On Communities that work with a wide array of local stakeholders to coordinate and maximize their efforts to improve school readiness and early literacy outcomes in their communities. Here are some recent highlights. Read On S...

Nearly two-thirds of Arizona's third graders didn't pass the state reading assessment. That's a challenge Read On Communities are working to address through strategic collaboration and evidence-based strategies.

Read On Pima brought together educators, nonprofit organizations, and librarians to identify local challenges: chronic absence, access to literacy-rich home environments, and early language development.

"Not every child comes with the same backpack filled with that language, literacy-rich environment," said Amber Schlak, co-lead of Read On Pima. "That initial learning begins at home."

Co-led by Make Way for Books, Literacy Connects, and United Way of Tucson and Southern Arizona, Read On Pima is supporting educators and families with effective literacy strategies for young learners, literacy coaching, and community action around attendance. They're one of 20 Read On Communities driving local action aligned with Arizona Literacy Plan 2030.

Learn more: https://bit.ly/4nK6X7Y

Arizona’s literacy landscapes: What’s working and what gaps remain Why has early literacy faltered and what’s being done to fix it?