Nearly 100 educators, administrators, faith and nonprofit leaders, and representatives from government agencies, health care providers and civic organizations convened on Thursday, March 7, in Marietta to take a deep look at reading proficiency at the Get Georgia Reading Campaign Marietta Summit.
The statewide campaign provides a framework of success through four pillars:
- Language Nutrition
- Access to Support and Services
- Positive Learning Climate
- Teacher Preparation and Effectiveness.
The success of the campaign is determined by data rigorously tracked by educational systems, children and family support organizations, and government agencies.
At the Marietta Summit, which was co-hosted by the Cobb Collaborative and Marietta City Schools, multiple content experts addressed topics such as prenatal care, trauma, access to healthcare and community-based resources, and the impact of these factors on literacy and overall well-being and academic success.
Attendees explored data pertaining to their schools and neighborhoods, ranging from school climate ratings to percentage of children living in poverty to chronic absenteeism rates, as well as other academic and socio-economic data points. The crowd also learned about best practice models and planned for future conversations.
“The purpose of the Marietta Summit was to bring together our community’s leaders in order to create a deeper understanding of and dialogue around the varying factors that impact a child’s success in school,” said Kimberly Blass, Director of External Affairs for Marietta City Schools. “Third grade is that critical point in a child’s educational journey, when he or she switches from learning to read to reading to learn. If we lose them at that point, then the rest of their K-12 experience is more challenging.”
Superintendent Dr. Grant Rivera provided the opening call to action and shared his experiences as a parent intentionally working to impact language development and communication with his two daughters. Other local speakers included
- Cobb Juvenile Court Judge Amber Patterson
- WellStar’s Chief Pediatric Officer Dr. Avril Beckford
- Cobb County Schools’ Chief Academic Officer Jennifer Lawson
- Georgia Department of Education’s Garry McGiboney
- Marcus Autism Center’s Emily Rubin
- Atlanta-Fulton Family Connection’s Janet Adams
- Cobb County Library’s Lisa Cleary and Mary Wood
- Oconee RESA’s Hayword Cordy
- Hickory Hills Elementary’s Amy Barringer and Natalie Wilson
- Get Georgia Reading’s Arianne Weldon
Atlanta Speech School Executive Director Comer Yates also spoke passionately about breaking the cycle of illiteracy and resulting poverty for children whose families have experienced generational lack of access to educational opportunity.
“We are beyond thrilled to serve as the local point of contact for the Get Georgia Reading Campaign and to build a partnership of engaged stakeholders in order to move the needle on reading proficiency in our community. There is a direct link between reading skills and high school graduation rates, which of course leads directly to employment opportunities, economic stability and ultimately, the health of our communities,” stated Irene Barton, Executive Director of the Cobb Collaborative. “It’s not an exaggeration to note that proficient readers become engaged citizens,” she added.
The hosting organizations note that this is only the beginning in what will be a continuing dialogue to bring educators and community leaders together to tackle the issue of literacy. Attendees learned about several opportunities to be involved immediately through Marietta Reads, Cobb County Library Systems, Ferst Readers of Cobb County, and the Marietta affiliate of Communities in Schools.
About Cobb Collaborative
Cobb Collaborative is a membership of nonprofit organizations and other stakeholders who share ideas, expertise and resources to meet the needs of our community. The Collaborative is also the local point of contact for the Get Georgia Reading Campaign.
About Marietta City Schools
Marietta City Schools became one of Georgia’s first Charter Systems in June 2008. Under the leadership of Dr. Grant Rivera, the MCS system includes seven K-5 elementary schools and an early learning center, which opened in August 2018. The district is building a college and career academy and operates the innovative Student Life Center within Marietta High School.
