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Passion4Reading

Rising Through Reading

Our first strategic priority, Passion4Reading, is our most fundamental: 100 percent of children should be reading on grade level by the third grade. This is a critical milestone to meet so that students are prepared for middle school, high school, and beyond. 

Passion4Reading is our moonshot to make this happen. We’re investing in high-quality, Science of Reading-aligned curriculum, doubling down on teacher support and training, and building community and family support to make this truly possible. 

Excitingly, it’s paying off already! Our K-2 reading scores are above where they were before the pandemic, and our 3-12 data is improving faster than the state’s. Harvard’s Center for Education Policy Research recently named us as a district “on the rise” because our reading scores are rebounding faster than similar districts. We were one of five divisions in Virginia to earn that distinction!

 

Logo for Passion4Reading featuring an open book above the text.

Our Progress to Date

After the COVID-19 pandemic, we knew that we needed to do more to help students reach their reading goals, and made deep investments in teaching and learning to do so. This past year, we’ve: 

Trained
823
educators 

Hosted
232
hours of summer PD

Because of these investments, we’re ...

Growing at 5x the rate of the state in K-2

Leading the region in Reading proficiency

for English language learners

+3 percent ABOVE our pre-pandemic scores

for economically disadvantaged students

At Home, in the Commuity

We cannot reach this goal alone! We’re working with partners across Richmond to support students. Exposure to rich literature at all ages is vital to ensuring all students become joyful readers. If you’re interested in supporting efforts to build a home library for all students, reach out to the Richmond Ed Fund. 


A logo with three colorful, abstract shapes forming a cube-like structure.

If you’re the parent of a PK-5 student, please make sure that you are: 

  1. Reading every night: Developing a routine, and talking to your child about the book, builds strong habits.
  2. Discussing the world around them: Share what you’re observing, and encourage them to share what they’re seeing, as well. 
  3. Visit the library to fill your home with books: Keep books accessible, and develop “no device” spaces to support reading. 

We’re continuing to make year-over-year progress in reading, ensuring our youngest students start strong, and working strategically to support older learners where they’re at. Our major focus currently is fluency, or working to ensure that all students can read smoothly and easily.