Youth Library Assistant Joann Tseng reads a book to children at the preschool story time on Aug. 2, 2022, at the Reby Cary Youth Library, 3851 E. Lancaster Ave. Credit: Cristian ArguetaSoto for Fort Worth Report
The city of Fort Worth wants all students, regardless of where they attend school, to read proficiently.
Mayor Mattie Parker issued a resolution April 15 declaring literacy as one of the city’s priorities. The document emphasized Fort Worth’s promise to help the 12 school districts serving the city achieve universal grade-level reading among students.
“We just wanted to make sure that we are prioritizing literacy in the city of Fort Worth moving forward,” Parker said. “This is not just a ceremonial push. This is something that each of us should keep charged with and really encourage to make a difference for our students today and tomorrow.”
The city is doing its part to turn around those numbers, Parker said. The city recently started piloting a program called Literacy Roundup that screens students for potential learning disabilities, such as dyslexia, and connects their parents with resources to help them.
“I don’t think anyone around this table is satisfied until every student has access to a high-quality education,” Parker said, looking at her fellow City Council members. “We understand that literacy is really at that foundation. It continues to be a priority for us.”
The municipal government is not alone in making this declaration.
The first? Fort Worth ISD, the city’s largest school district that has faced a literacy crisis stretching to 2016 and is in the middle of a turnaround plan.
“It is truly a civic crisis,” trustee Tobi Jackson said Jan. 21, noting the impact literacy has on poverty and crime and other societal issues that affect a community.
The Tarrant County Commissioners Court followed and issued a resolution committing the county government to helping school districts boost literacy rates.
“If by educating one child we can create a safer and more prosperous society, then all of our efforts will have been worth it,” Commissioner Manny Ramirez said in February.
Jacob Sanchez is a senior education reporter for the Fort Worth Report. Contact him at [email protected] or @_jacob_sanchez. At the Fort Worth Report, news decisions are made independently of our board members and financial supporters. Read more about our editorial independence policy here.
