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04/28/2023

Campaign for Grade-Level Reading Honor Roll

Initiative Recognizes Public Housing Agencies as Portal to Early Learning Success

WASHINGTON, D.C., APRIL 28, 2023 - The Campaign for Grade-Level Reading announces its 2023 Public Housing Communities Honor Roll. The honorees employ strategies and tactics that leverage the resources of public housing agencies and organizations to advance seamless systems of coordinated and aligned care, services, and family supports that are 24/7/365 and multigenerational.

The Honor Roll members demonstrate their leadership and depth and breadth of contributions in supporting children through a variety of programs and partnerships. These public housing communities have:

  • shown sustained effort for more than a year;
  • prioritized collaboration with school districts, other agencies, organizations, and institutions to amplify the desired outcomes;
  • used data to set baselines and targets, track progress, and promote accountability for outcomes; and
  • addressed foundational critical early school success and equitable recovery objectives, such as school readiness and attendance.

Critically, many honorees have intentionally addressed learning losses arising from the COVID-19 pandemic, working in areas of learning recovery, digital equity and connectivity, and health, employing innovative and creative ways to stem further setbacks and spark growth. A wide range of efforts identified include:

  • read aloud events with volunteers and tutors;
  • book distributions;
  • community garden development and nutrition education;
  • year-round out-of-school programming;
  • on-site educators;
  • digital literacy initiatives;
  • broad connectivity projects; and
  • device distributions and technical assistance.

CGLR is the nonprofit that serves as the backbone for a network of 46 states, the District of Columbia, Puerto Rico, the U.S. Virgin Islands, and two provinces in Canada. CGLR will formally recognize and induct the communities to the Honor Roll during the National Association of Housing and Redevelopment Officials (NAHRO) annual meeting in New Orleans in October 2023.

CGLR Managing Director Ralph Smith, in praising the 31 public housing organizations and communities added to the Honor Roll, says, "Learning loss is real. There are many more children stranded on the wrong side of what is now a chasm. And a large number of these children reside in public housing and are served by public housing. These Honor Roll members demonstrate how public housing leaders are at the table and in the mix. They show a commitment to meeting the moment, producing improved outcomes, closing the gaps, and working toward equitable learning recovery. We expect that our network will learn a great deal from them and with them over the coming months and years."

CGLR congratulates the following public housing communities for being named to the Honor Roll:

  • Akron Metropolitan Housing Authority, Akron, OH
  • Boulder Housing Partners, Boulder, CO
  • City of Roanoke Redevelopment and Housing Authority, Roanoke, VA
  • Cuyahoga Metropolitan Housing Authority, Cleveland, OH
  • Elm City Communities, New Haven, CT
  • Fort Wayne Housing Authority, Fort Wayne, IN
  • Fresno Housing, Fresno, CA
  • Harlingen Housing Authority, Harlingen, TX
  • Home Forward, Portland, OR
  • Housing as a Platform, Inc.
  • Housing Authority of Billings (Homefront), Billings, MT
  • Housing Authority of the City of Goldsboro, Goldsboro, NC
  • Housing Authority of the City of Los Angeles, Los Angeles, CA
  • Housing Authority of the City of Milwaukee, Milwaukee, WI
  • Housing Authority of the City of Oakland, Oakland, CA
  • Housing Authority of the City of Santa Barbara, Santa Barbara, CA
  • Housing Authority of the County of Contra Costa, Martinez, CA
  • Housing Authority of the County of San Mateo, Belmont, CA
  • Lawrence-Douglas Housing Authority, Lawrence, KS
  • Lincoln Housing Authority, Lincoln, NE
  • Loveland Housing Authority, Loveland, CO
  • People's Self-Help Housing, San Luis Obispo, CA
  • Portland Housing Authority, Portland, ME
  • San Antonio Housing Authority (Opportunity Home), San Antonio, TX
  • Sarasota Housing Authority, Sarasota, FL
  • Seattle Housing Authority, Seattle, WA
  • Spartanburg Housing, Spartanburg, SC
  • Tarpon Springs Housing Authority, Tarpon Springs, FL
  • The Housing Authority of the City of Atlanta, Atlanta, GA
  • Tifton Housing Authority, Tifton, GA
  • Topeka Housing Authority, Topeka, KS

About the Campaign for Grade-Level Reading

Launched in 2010, the Campaign for Grade-Level Reading is a collaborative effort of funders, nonprofit partners, business leaders, government agencies, states, and communities across the nation to ensure that many more children from economically challenged families succeed in school and graduate prepared for college, a career, and active citizenship. Since its launch, CGLR has grown to include more than 350 communities, representing 46 states, the District of Columbia, Puerto Rico, the U.S. Virgin Islands, and two provinces in Canada - with 5,200+ local organizations and 510 state and local funders (including 200+ United Ways). To learn more, visit gradelevelreading.net and follow the movement on Twitter @readingby3rd.

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