Fresno Unified administrators outlined at a School Board workshop Thursday the district's new Literary Initiative that will launch with great fanfare in August and that will aim to have all students reading at grade level by the first grade. School Board members then peppered them with questions, but the main...
Fresno Schools Chief Unveils a Moon Shot: All Students Reading at Grade Level by 1st Grade
There's a catchphrase among educators that students must first learn to read, then read to learn. In their first few years of schooling, students are supposed to be acquiring the literacy skills they will need to comprehend their lessons and be successful academically throughout their school careers. California's literacy efforts...
She Got $10 for Top Grades, but What She Really Wanted Was 50 Books
Yanely Reyes Cruz was still a little sleepy Monday morning when Fresno Unified Trustee Keshia Thomas arrived at her fifth-grade classroom at Kirk Elementary School with an armful of books. So Yanely didn't quite remember that a couple of weeks ago, when she was presented a $10 award for...
Her Reading Heart Inspires Students Across Fresno
Danay Ferguson founded Reading Heart when she was just 8 years old, making her the youngest registered entrepreneur in Fresno County history, according to the nonprofit's website. "It first started out with my love of reading," Danay said, "and I wanted to share that with everybody else." The avid reader is...
5,000 Lives Transformed By Fresno Scottish Rite
One of the great joys of doing the 12 Days of Philanthropy project is discovering some of the wonderful things happening in Fresno. The Fresno Scottish Rite Childhood Language Disorders Center is one of them. Acting on a tip from my editor, I discovered this remarkable effort to help kids who struggle to...