School districts are critical partners for Children’s Literacy Initiative, as demonstrated in the successful launch of our Investing in Innovation (i3) Scale-up project in four urban school districts, including Broward County Public Schools (BCPS) in Florida, during the 2016-2017 school year. BCPS Superintendent of Schools Robert W. Runcie, and district leaders, quickly embraced our i3 project in seven district schools, …
We spoke with Leah Eller, a Kindergarten teacher at Green Valley Elementary in Denver, CO about her experience with CLI and why our partnership with teachers is so important. How has Children’s Literacy Initiative training impacted your early literacy instruction? The training that I have received from Children’s Literacy Initiative has helped me really target the Common Core State Standards (CCSS) while …
When Books Change Lives
Ingrid is a proud 2nd grader who loves to read. When asked to name her favorite book, she will tell you that she has many, but her most favorite book right now is The Dot by Peter H. Reynolds. The Dot, part of the Children’s Literacy Initiative Spanish language book collection, is about a little girl who doesn’t believe that …
Names: The Foundation for Reading and Writing
Learning to read and write is a big task! Luckily, our children enter preschool and kindergarten already equipped with one of the most powerful teaching tools – their names! Children’s names are one the most important words in their lives. The first letters they learn are the letters in their names. Children’s phonological awareness of their names and their eagerness …
3 Books that Promote Positive Classroom Culture
Teachers often ask us to recommend books that promote a positive classroom culture. Below are some wonderful read alouds that can help children learn to take care of themselves, take care of others, and take care of their classroom. Children’s Literacy Initiative calls this the Power of Three. Take Care of Yourself Melena’s Jubilee by Zetta Elliott Melena wakes …
Children’s Literacy Initiative Receives $15,000 Grant from Provident Bank Foundation for Early Literacy Project in Kearny, NJ School District
KEARNY, New Jersey (September 27, 2017) – Children’s Literacy Initiative (CLI), a 501(c)(3) nonprofit organization partnering with educators to improve instruction so more children read proficiently by 3rd grade, was recently awarded a $15,000 Major Grant from The Provident Bank Foundation to support CLI’s 2017-2018 Reading Workshop Instruction Project in Kearny, New Jersey School District, which will work to improve …
Children’s Literacy Initiative Wins the Top Honor in the Library of Congress Literacy Awards Program
Children’s Literacy Initiative (CLI) wins the 2017 David M. Rubenstein Prize, the top honor in the Library of Congress Literacy Awards program for the organization making outstanding and measurable contributions in increasing literacy levels across the country. “Making certain children have the literacy skills they need to succeed is a matter of national importance,” says Joel Zarrow, CEO of CLI. …
Request for Proposals: Web Based Observation Tool
Build a website that gives users the ability to takes notes, create action steps, give ratings on practices as it relates to one-on-one professional development sessions. TERMS AND CONDITIONS CLI must own, have full access to and have the right to customize site code. Terms for proposal: Proposals should be delivered to Michael Jones at mjones@cli.org by 09/08/17. All proposals …
Don’t overlook this critical aspect of genre studies…
Pre-Writing, Drafting, Revising, Editing and Publishing. While these are the five steps most closely, and most generally associated with the writing process, we must not forget one critical aspect of genre studies, the “Immersion Phase”. It was early in my teaching career when I engaged in the planning of a genre study with my grade level counterparts. I was eager, …
How to Celebrate Student Writing with Publishing Parties
There Destiny stood, all of four feet tall, holding a single piece of paper tightly in her hands. She smiled proudly, anxiously awaiting her audience members’ attention. She gently brushed her freshly curled hair away from her face and carefully groomed the front of her dress as if to smooth away any lingering wrinkles. “Writers,” Mrs. Burns announced enthusiastically, “please …