Save the Children is the leading independent organization creating lasting
change for children in need in the United States and around the world. For
more information, visit savethechildren.org.
Save the Children USA is a member of the International Save the Children
Alliance, a global network of 27 independent Save the Children organizations
working to ensure the well-being and protection of children in more than
120 countries.
Kentucky
Rural Initiative
For more information regarding our U.S. Programs please contact:
2009–2010 Annual Report
Mark Shriver
Aaron Doeppers
Vice President and Managing Director
Director, State Policy and Advocacy
United States Programs
United States Programs
202.640.6600
203.341.8219
[email protected]
[email protected]
Andrew Hysell
Carolyn Geck
Associate Vice President, Policy and Advocacy
Associate Director, State Policy and Advocacy
United States Programs
United States Programs
202.640.6600
561.307.5502
[email protected]
[email protected]
Save the Children v 2000 L Street NW, Suite 500 v Washington, DC v 20036
www.savethechildren.org
enriching children for a brighter future
c r e at i n g r e a l a n d l a s t i n g c h a n g e i n t h e l i v e s o f r u r a l c h i l d r e n l i v i n g i n p ov e rt y
Kentucky Rural Initiative
e x e c u t i v e s u m m a ry 3
A Real Need in Rural America
Save the Children Is Making A Difference for Kentucky’s Kids
Our Literacy Program Helps Children Read Better
meeting a critical need for children
4
Challenges Rural Children and Communities Face
w h e r e w e s e rv e k e n t u c k y ’ s c h i l d r e n 5
a p u b l i c - p r i vat e pa rt n e r s h i p t h at wo r k s 6
Our Literacy Program Components
who’s benefiting
7
l i t e r ac y p ro g r a m r e s u lt s 8
Reading Improvement
Participant Enrollment
Average Number of Books Read
s e rv i n g ru r a l a m e r i c a 11
n ot e s 12
Kentucky Rural Initiative
Executive Summary
A Real Need in Rural America
 In Kentucky, 30 percent of children in rural areas live in poor families with incomes less than
$22,050 for a family of four.1
 Fifty-one percent of Kentucky’s children are eligible for free or reduced meals; a socioeconomic
challenge recognized as a barrier to student achievement.2
 In Kentucky, 32 percent of 4th graders scored below the basic level of reading achievement on the
National Assessment of Educational Progress.3
Save the Children Is Making a Difference for Kentucky’s Kids
During the 2009–2010 program year, Save the Children supported 33 literacy programs in Kentucky,
serving more than 4,000 children in 11 counties. Through our programs, Save the Children is providing the youngest students with a strong foundation for learning and school-age children with the skills
they need to succeed academically.
Our Literacy Program Helps Children Read Better
During the 2009–2010 program year:
 The percentage of children reading at or above grade level increased by 84 percent from the start of
the year to the end.
 71 percent of regular program participants demonstrated, through norm-referenced standardized
testing, significant improvement in literacy skills.
 On average, literacy improvement among program participants was equivalent to attending an
additional 4.5 months of school.
3
4
Kentucky Rural Initiative
Meeting A Critical Need for Children
Children in rural Kentucky face challenges to academic and life success. High poverty rates and infrastructure deficits combine to create obstacles for children trying to succeed. The statistical correlation
between poverty and low literacy rates has been well documented.4 Responding to this critical need
for supplemental academic literacy programming, Save the Children has made it a priority to provide
much needed services to these target communities.
High Poverty Rates
Poor
Educational
Outcomes
Underskilled
Work Force
Insufficient
Infrastructure
5
Kentucky Rural Initiative
Where We Serve Kentucky’s Children
In 2009–2010 Save the Children supported 33 literacy programs in
11 counties across the state, providing essential literacy training to
children reading below grade level. By creating a new
cohort of children who succeed
6
academically, we believe that
16
our partnerships can bring
20
28 29
about sustained
19
25 26 32
22
27
30
Literacy Program
program
school district
county
A.B. Combs Elementary
Perry
Perry
Arlie Boggs Elementary
Letcher County Schools
Letcher
Beaver Creek Elementary
Knott County
Knott
Beckham Bates Elementary
Letcher County Schools
Letcher
Big Creek Elementary
Clay County School District
Clay
Botts Elementary
Menifee County
Menifee
Carr Creek Elementary
Knott
Knott
Chavies Elementary
Perry
Perry
Cowan Elementary
Letcher County Schools
Letcher
Emmalena
Knott County
Knott
Goose Rock Elementary
Clay
Clay
Hacker Elementary
Clay
Clay
Hayes Lewis Elementary
Leslie County
Leslie
Hindman
Knott County
Knott
Jones Fork Elementary
Knott County
Knott
L.B.J. Elementary School
Breathitt County Schools
Breathitt
Letcher Elementary
Letcher County Schools
Letcher
Manchester Elementary
Clay
Clay
Mccreary County Middle
Mccreary County
McCreary
Mckee Elementary School
Jackson County
Jackson
Hyden/Mountain View Elementary
Leslie County
Leslie
Oak Grove Elementary
Whitley County
Whitley
Owsley County Elementary
Owsley
Owsley
Paces Creek Elementary
Clay
Clay
Pine Knot Intermediate
Mccreary
McCreary
Pine Knot Primary
Mccreary County Schools
Mccreary
Pleasant View Elementary
Whitley
Whitley
Sand Gap Elementary
Jackson
Jackson
Tyner Elementary
Jackson County Public Schools
Jackson
Whitley Central Intermediate School
Whitley County
Whitley
Whitley Central Primary
Whitley County
Whitley
Whitley City Elementary
Mccreary County School District
McCreary
Willard Elementary
Perry
Perry
31
1
11
13
18
24
communities.
1
2
3
4
5
6
7
8
9
10
11
12
13
14
15
16
17
18
19
20
21
22
23
24
25
26
27
28
29
30
31
32
33
5
12
change in rural
3
23
21
7
14 15
8
33 9
10
2
4
17
6
Kentucky Rural Initiative
A Public-Private Partnership That Works
Our Literacy Program
Working in partnership with local schools, Save the Children provides struggling readers in kindergarten through sixth grade with the opportunity to increase their reading achievement by supplying the
tools they need to develop reading skills and the guidance and support they need to grow as readers. The carefully designed curriculum is administered by paraprofessionals who provide supplemental
in-school support, as well as afterschool and summer programming. Additionally, because there is a
strong documented link between children’s health and their ability to learn, Save the Children incorporates nutrition and physical activity components into its programming.
Program Components
literacy curriculum
 Provides tutorials, including one-on-one and small-group instruction
for children with similar reading needs
 Increases the amount of quality reading time through guided independent reading practice
 Utilizes software-based literacy tools to compliment core activities
and to help develop reading fluency and comprehension
physical activity & nutrition curriculum
 Engages children in 30 minutes or more of moderate-to-vigorous
physical activity
 Provides a healthy snack
monitoring & evaluation
Our comprehensive monitoring and evaluation system tracks:
 Participant enrollment and attendance;
 The number of books read and number of reading comprehension
quizzes passed; and
 Improvement of reading skills as demonstrated through standardized testing.
Kentucky Rural Initiative
Who’s Benefiting
More than 4,000 children in Kentucky participated in Save the Children’s literacy programs during the
2009–2010 program year.
7
8
Kentucky Rural Initiative
Literacy Program Results
To gauge reading improvement Save the Children conducts standardized testing, measuring a child’s
reading proficiency using the STAR Reading Assessment. Outputs are measured in Normal Curve
Equivalences (NCEs)5. A gain of two or more points represents an increase in reading profi­ciency
beyond what would be expected if the child just attended school. The graph below shows, by program
site, the percentage of regularly participating children (attended our program at least 55 days) who
began the program reading below grade level and achieved a gain of two or more NCEs during the
course of the program.
Percentage of children who made significant progress
A. B. Combs Elementary
Arlie Boggs
Beaver Creek Elementary
Beckham Bates Elementary
Big Creek Elementary
Botts Elementary
Carr Creek Elementary
Chavies Elementary
Cowan Elementary
Emmalena Elementary
Goose Rock Elementary
Hacker Elementary
Hayes Lewis Elementary
Hindman Elementary
Jones Fork Elementary
LBJ Elementary
Letcher Elementary
Manchester Elementary
McCreary County Middle
McKee Elementary
Mountain View Elementary
Oak Grove Elementary
Owsley County Elementary
Paces Creek Elementary
Pine Knot Intermediate
Pine Knot Primary
Pleasant View Elementary
Sand Gap Elementary
Tyner Elementary
Whitley Central Intermediate
Whitley Central Primary
Whitley City Elementary
Willard Elementary
63
78
82
71
88
92
97
69
84
95
77
78
79
86
50
81
68
75
58
65
62
86
57
93
49
78
81
76
54
77
77
62
64
0
20
40
60
80
The average individual change was the equivalent of attending
an additional 4.5 months of school.
100
Kentucky Rural Initiative
The goal of our literacy program is to increase the number of children reading at or above grade level.
Final STAR
Initial STAR
35%
19%
Above Grade Level
81%
65%
Below Grade Level
During the 2009–2010 program year, the percentage of
children in our program reading at or above grade level
nearly doubled.
9
10
Kentucky Rural Initiative
Average Number of Books Read
Target Number of Books Read
80
79
70
60
50
40
30
20
25
10
0
Our objective is for each student to read at least 25 developmentally
appropriate books over the course of the year during guided
independent reading practice. On average, students in our program
read 79 books.
Kentucky Rural Initiative
Serving Rural America
During difficult economic times, Save the Children’s programs are a lifeline for rural communities.
 Good jobs. Our programs provide quality employment opportunities for local workers.
 Worker development. Our programs not only provide employment opportunities, but they also
offer workforce development through trainings and technical assistance.
 Improving school infrastructure. Save the Children makes schools better through investments
in:
• New age-appropriate books
• Educational software and technology
• Upgrades for school facilities necessary for the program, including computer hardware and
Internet access
 Afterschool care. Our programs provide free, quality afterschool care, which is a vital service for
low-income families.
During the 2009–2010 program year, Save the Children provided an average of 44 hours of training
and technical assistance to each of our literacy program sites. These development opportunities were
provided to all staff and any school employee interested in participating.
Through this training and technical assistance, staff learn important skills including project management, leadership, teaching techniques, and the use of different software and Internet-based applications. Save the Children’s staff development is a professional resource for educators, benefiting children
while improving the skill set of tomorrow’s workforce.
11
12
Kentucky Rural Initiative
Notes
1.2009. Kentucky: Demographics of Poor Children, National Center for Children in Poverty (NCCP). Columbia University.
New York, N.Y.
2.2007. National Center for Education Statistics, US Department of Education, Institute of Education Sciences
3.Ibid.
4.Leroy, C., & Symes, B. (2001). Teachers’ perspectives on the family backgrounds of children at risk. McGill Journal of
Education, 36(1), 45-60.
5.NCE—Normal Curve Equivalent was developed for the United States Department of Education by the RMC Research
Corporation. It measures where a student falls on a normal curve, indicating a student’s rank compared to other students
on the same test.
Save the Children is the leading independent organization creating lasting
change for children in need in the United States and around the world. For
more information, visit savethechildren.org.
Save the Children USA is a member of the International Save the Children
Alliance, a global network of 27 independent Save the Children organizations
working to ensure the well-being and protection of children in more than
120 countries.
Kentucky
Rural Initiative
For more information regarding our U.S. Programs please contact:
2009–2010 Annual Report
Mark Shriver
Andrew Hysell
Senior Vice President
Associate Vice President, Policy and Advocacy
United States Programs
United States Programs
202.640.6600
202.640.6600
[email protected]
[email protected]
Kathy Spangler
Aaron Doeppers
Vice President
Director, State Policy and Advocacy
United States Programs
United States Programs
202.640.6600
203.341.8219
[email protected]
[email protected]
Carolyn Geck
Associate Director, State Policy and Advocacy
United States Programs
561.307.5502
[email protected]
Save the Children v 2000 L Street NW, Suite 500 v Washington, DC v 20036
www.savethechildren.org
enriching children for a brighter future