Editor’s Note: This is part of a series sharing the values of the Suncoast Campaign for Grade-Level Reading.
The R in I CAN READ, the values statement of the Suncoast Campaign for Grade-Level Reading, stands for results oriented. The Suncoast Campaign for Grade-Level Reading is committed to achieving high-quality outcomes in the Manatee-Sarasota region and relies on quantitative tools and methods as guidance to reach its goals.
Children are being tested for results all the time. Indeed, this is how we know that there is a serious issue with third graders from low-income families when it comes to reading ability. If the Campaign is going to make meaningful inroads to resolve this challenge, its activities must be tested in a continuous effort to make corrections and build on what is working.
Roxie Jerde, CEO of the Community Foundation of Sarasota County and one of the Suncoast Campaign’s network weavers, is fond of saying this: All of us together are smarter than any one of us alone. So, it’s with teamwork and input from all partners—the school systems, foundations, early childhood education providers, parents and families, businesses, and many other collaborators—that the Campaign is able to measure progress, learn from what is measured, adapt to what the measures tell us, and improve results for children and families throughout Manatee and Sarasota counties.
Jack Welch, retired CEO of General Electric, once said, “Culture drives great results.” The Suncoast Campaign for Grade-Level Reading was developed and thrives in a culture of planning, analysis, sharing, fine-tuning, and always measuring, measuring, measuring. By staying true to its values, the Campaign expects great results.
