About Just Read, Florida!

"Reading is the foundation of all learning. Our children must learn to read well if they're to excel in life and achieve their dreams. The Just Read, Florida! Initiative is helping to ensure a brighter future for all the children in Florida."
- Former US Secretary of Education Rod Paige

Just Read, Florida! is the statewide reading initiative that prioritizes reading in Florida's public schools and among all the community groups and volunteer organizations that support them. Just Read, Florida! is based on the latest reading research that includes emphasis on phonemic awareness (knowing that words are made up of sounds), phonics (the link between sounds and letters), vocabulary (what words mean and how to say them), fluency (the ability to read words accurately and quickly), and comprehension (the ability to understand what you read).

Charged with establishing reading as a core value in this state, Just Read, Florida! was launched in 2001 with the unequivocal goal of every child being able to read at or above grade level by the year 2012. With that goal in mind, Just Read, Florida! focuses on three main components:

Educators

To date, over 30,000 teachers statewide have attended Just Read, Florida! reading academies to learn the latest in scientifically based reading research. Federal and state grants have also provided for over 2,000 reading coaches in K-12 schools. Beginning in 2003, Florida was awarded $300 million over the next six years in Reading First funds, the reading component of the federal No Child Left Behind legislation. Reading First funding provides professional development, teacher materials, reading coaches, and classroom library improvement. Reading First in Florida affects 45 school districts, 583 schools, 14,000 educators, and over 320,000 students.

Reading First Professional Development (RFPD) assists Just Read, Florida! with the implementation of Reading First statewide. RFPD is made up of 30 regional coordinators who provide assistance and support to districts throughout the state of Florida. The regional coordinators deliver and support professional development activities within Reading First schools to improve student achievement in reading for kindergarten through grade three classrooms.

The Florida Literacy and Reading Excellence (FLaRE) project was established in 2000 through a Florida legislative appropriation and has become a literacy center for professional development currently operating as a part of the Just Read, Florida! initiative.

FLaRE supports the Florida Department of Education initiatives by disseminating information about literacy instruction and assessment statewide. Through professional development in the Florida K-12 Reading Endorsement Competencies One, Three, Four, Five and Six inservice, Content Area Reading Professional Development (CAR-PD), the FLaRE website, dialogue with literacy professors at Florida universities, and staff development initiatives in individual schools and districts, FLaRE strives to meet the literacy professional development needs of Florida’s teachers and administrators.

The Florida Center for Reading Research (FCRR) was established by Governor Jeb Bush in January, 2002. It is jointly administered at Florida State University by the Learning Systems Institute and the College of Arts and Sciences. FCRR conducts basic research on reading, reading growth, reading assessment, and reading instruction that will contribute to the scientific knowledge of reading and benefit students in Florida and throughout the nation. The center also disseminates information about research-based practices related to literacy instruction and assessment for children in pre-school through 12th grade, conducts applied research that will have an immediate impact on policy and practices related to literacy instruction in Florida, and provides technical assistance to Florida's schools and to the State Department of Education for the improvement of literacy outcomes in students from pre-K through 12th grade.

The Florida Reading Initiative (FRI) is a research-based school wide reform effort committed to providing the necessary tools for schools to achieve 100% literacy. Teachers are given the background knowledge, skills and strategies needed to teach all students. Key components that comprise FRI include a whole school approach (requiring 85% of faculty pledging to actively participate in the initiative), professional development, continuous assessment of students, and follow-up support. Over 74 schools currently participate in this initiative. The expansion and success of the FRI is through the continued funding and support from the Just Read, Florida! office.

Just Read, Florida! provides funding in order to offer the courses Applied Data Analysis for Educational Leaders (ADAPT), Florida Online Reading Professional Development (FOR-PD), and Foundations of Language and Cognition (FOLAC) free of charge for educators seeking the reading endorsement. There are currently 6,519 individuals who hold a currently valid Florida Educator’s Certificate with the Reading Endorsement and 7,115 individuals with reading certification.

For the past six years, Just Read, Florida! has hosted an annual Leadership Conference. This year’s conference promises to be the most exciting event ever with more than 4,000 principals, assistant principals, reading coaches, and district administrators sharing what works for improving literacy in Florida’s schools through more than 300 breakout sessions.

Parent Involvement

Families Building Better Readers (FBBR) is a dynamic reading workshop designed for parents and children in elementary, middle, and high school grades. This workshop teaches parents how to set their students up for successful reading practice at home with research-based activities they can do with their students to improve reading performance. With construction, mystery, and game show themes that add an element of fun to the event for parents and students, each parent will receive a tool kit and blueprint for success that includes reading materials and activities to do within their own home.

In Florida, strengthening families is a top priority, beginning with a focus on family literacy. The Florida Family Literacy Initiative encourages families to learn together, with education that helps parents improve their competitiveness in the workplace and helps children start school ready to learn. By learning together, families keep each other motivated to perform.

Community & Corporate Involvement

In 2004, Beall’s Department Stores, Inc. partnered with the Florida Department of Education’s Just Read, Florida! Office to support former Governor Bush’s efforts to promote reading and literacy in the state. Children’s Books are sold throughout the year and $2.00 from every designated book sale goes to Just Read, Florida! As of August 2007, over $140,000 has been raised to date to help promote Florida Literacy.

One Book, One Community programs work to inspire whole communities to read the same book with the goal of promoting reading, sparking discussion, and building community. Read Together, Florida is Florida’s One State/One Book Reading Promotion program.

Just Read, Families! provides information designed to help parents take an active role in reading with their children during the summer. The Just Read, Families! website offers parents the tools they need to nurture a reading-friendly environment at home. This campaign is a product of Just Read, Florida! partnerships with the Florida Department of State’s Division of Libraries and the Panhandle Area Education Consortium.

Reach Out and Read (ROAR) is a national, non-profit program that is working to make literacy promotion a standard part of pediatric primary care. Just Read, Florida! provides funding support for this program for Florida children. ROAR trains medical providers to advise parents about the importance of reading aloud and to give books to children at check-ups from 6 months to 5 years, with a special emphasis on medical clinics that serve low-income families.