Note from the EditorWhen we decided to give a special focus to the 2012 All-America City Awards, we didn’t know how it would turn out. Itwas to be an experiment, a chance to do something slightly dif-ferent. Ordinarily, when participants apply, they focus on threecommunity-based projects of their choice. It could be an effortto provide low-income housing, a clever economic developmentplan, or a better way of delivering services. The finalists are se-lected, and we invite them to go to a three-day competition-celebration. In 2012, we are asking them to hone in on oneissue: getting more kids to read at grade level by third grade.

As I write this note, we still don’t know how the event itself isgoing to turn out, but we do know this: There is a powerful un-dercurrent of interest in this issue at the local level. As I writethis note, our e-mail inboxes are jammed with letters of intentto participate from communities of all sizes from all over thecountry, about 150 in all. All-America City Awards have alwaysbeen open to cities, counties, and metro-regions large and small,but typically it is mostly small-to-medium-sized cities that an-swer the call to participate. They want to show off the good workthey are doing and get recognition for being dynamic, problem-solving communities. The largest cities—Los Angeles, New York,Washington, D.C.—are less likely to apply, possibly because theyhave less to prove.

Usually there are one or two big cities or urban areas that partic-ipate, but this year there are many: Los Angeles, New York City,D.C., San Francisco, Atlanta, Chicago, and Baltimore. There arejoint letters from Santa Clara and San Mateo counties, an eight-county area in southern Florida, and the entire state of Arizona.The list goes on and on. How to explain this unusual level of in-terest? Well, partly it is the quality of the partners we are workingwith through the Campaign for Grade-Level Reading. Two par-ticular organizations, United Way Worldwide and the NationalLeague of Cities, have stepped up to help us get this award offthe ground, and they should be commended for their great workin motivating communities to participate. Organization is cer-tainly an important factor here, but the main reason, I think, isthe keen interest in the issue of grade-level reading by commu-nities across the country.

As part of our commitment to the campaign, we are devotingthis issue of the National Civic Review to grade-level reading,publishing articles from experts and activists about how to bestaddress the reading gap between many low-income kids andtheir peers. The Campaign for Grade-Level Reading is focus-ing on three issues: school readiness, chronic absenteeism, andthe summer reading gap (skills decline in the summer months ifkids aren’t reading at home).

These articles explore the research and literature on these threeareas of concern, showcase success stories in particular com-munities and schools, and present findings on what seems towork and what needs to change. The purpose of this issue of theReview is to stimulate thinking that will lead to successful com-munity change, which is also the goal of the 2012 All-AmericaCity Awards. We want the 2012 program to have a measurableimpact in communities and on reading levels nationwide.

This effort comes at a time when the federal government isputting more of an emphasis on early childhood developmentand learning, as are many state and local partnerships. It is verydifficult to help kids succeed in school and later in their worklives if they show up in kindergarten unprepared for learning.

In late June, community-based learning activists from all overthe country will convene in Denver for the 2012 All-AmericaCity Awards, and when they do, they will receive copies of thisissue of the Review, so these articles can be part of the con-versation about the best and most effective ideas and strategiesfor making sure that every kid in the United States can read atgrade level by third grade. We’ve already gotten off to a greatstart with all of these letters of intent. We’re looking forward toseeing how this experiment plays out.

In the meantime, I would like to thank the Campaign for Grade-Level Reading for its partnership in this special issue of theNational Civic Review.

Michael McGrathEditor

A Publ icat ion of the Nat ional Civ ic League

c© 2012 Wiley Per iodicals , Inc .Publ ished onl ine in Wi ley Onl ine Library (wi leyonl inel ibrary .com)

Nat ional Civ ic Review • DOI : 10.1002/ncr .20076 • Winter 2011 3