MGT has partnered with the Utah State Board of Education (USBE) to provide state-wide support for Utah schools to create structures and systems to better engage families in early literacy. This work is part of Senate Bill 127 Early Literacy Outcomes Improvement (SB127), and USBE is committed to ensuring that 70% of third-grade students are reading on grade level by 2027.
As part of this work, MGT supported Liberty Elementary School in Salt Lake City in hosting a regional literacy event, one of six hosted in conjunction with the SB127 Science of Reading and Community Engagement project offered to educators across the state.
During the event, teachers led six different core MGT Science of Reading activities for families. Families could get recommendations from their students’ teachers about which to attend then moved through the event at their own pace. Over 100 families engaged in activities throughout the evening to learn critical literacy skills. MGT worked in collaboration with Promise Partnership, who supported the school in fostering community partnerships. Ten different community partners attended. Not only did families receive books, but they also gained a better understanding of how to practice essential literacy skills with their children.
Exit survey results shared that:
- 96% of families agreed or strongly agreed that they ‘learned how to support their students at home with reading.’
- 98% of families agreed or strongly agreed that they ‘would do the activities at home with their children.’
MGT’s work to make the Literacy Night a success was a commitment to three principles that can be applied in any setting to build community engagement around the importance of literacy:
Align with the unique needs of the school.
Our event at Liberty was designed with and for the Liberty Elementary community. From the onset of our partnership, Liberty’s participation in the design process ensured the Science of Reading activities were responsive to the needs of their students and available in the eight languages spoken by their families.
Ease the creation burden.
Schools may be hesitant to take on what feels like ‘extra work.’ With MGT’s support, however, the burden of planning logistics, creating meaningful literacy activities, strategic planning, and onsite execution is eased. Successful events can actually alleviate staff burdens through effective partnerships that share learning responsibilities with families.
Build family capacity.
We must share tools and skills with families and believe that all families are capable of helping their child learn to read. Families are eager to learn the strategies that will help their children thrive.
MGT partners with states, districts, and individual schools in Community Engagement and Science of Reading. Please reach out to learn more about how we can partner to make literacy events come to life at your school!
