Relevant Reading

Aspire Arkansas Community Indicators Report

To move the needle on poverty in Arkansas, we must know where our communities currently stand. How strong are our educational institutions? How healthy are our children? How civically active are we? The Arkansas Community Foundation has compiled county-by-county data from a variety of resources to provide a snapshot of where our communities stand. You can read about this snapshot in the Aspire Arkansas Community Indicators Report.

Reading by Third Grade is a National Priority

Research shows that students who read on grade level by the end of third grade are more successful in school, work, and in life. The Winthrop Rockefeller Foundation (WRF) is partnering with community stakeholders, community organizers, educators and advocates to launch the Campaign for Grade Level Reading (GLR) in Arkansas. Read the article from the February Arkansas Reading Association E-Newsletter.

The Marginalized Males Workforce and Education Consortium: Moving the Needle in Education Facilitated by the Winthrop Rockefeller Foundation

College completion rates for African American males in the state of Arkansas are below 15%, as compared to 26% across all ethnic groups. Numerous individual initiatives are evolving in the state to improve college completion rates for African American, Latino, and other marginalized males; however, the Winthrop Rockefeller Foundation recognized the need for a more coordinated strategy which focused on policy and practice change. Read about WRF's Marginalized Males Workforce and Education Consortium (MMWEC) in the December issue of GCYF's Healthy Men, Healthy Communities Newsletter.

The Old College Try

By focusing on students at risk of dropping out, donors are finding ways to move the needle on college graduation rates. This article by Evan Sparks in the Spring issue of Philanthropy discusses the Achieving the Dream initiative.