Mayor James is pleased to announce that Turn the Page KC was recognized as a Community Champion at last night’s Kansas City Public Schools Board of Directors meeting. The school board awarded this honor to organizations that have helped boost student achievement in the district.
During the 2013-2014 school year, Turn the Page KC organized parent engagement events at several elementary schools and helped match 356 new volunteers with K-3 students city-wide, 270 of those in the Kansas City Public School District. These reading mentors dedicate one hour per week to reading one-on-one with a child.
The Mayor started Turn the Page KC in 2011 because of his commitment to education in this City. The goal of Turn the Page KC is to ensure that every child in the City can read at grade level by third grade.
“I’m deeply grateful to Dr. Green and the KCPS Board of Directors for recognizing Turn the Page KC with this honor,” said Mayor Sly James. “This shows that our school district partners value the impact of Turn the Page KC and that our organization has made tremendous strides in just three years. I appreciate the work of the entire Turn the Page KC organization to elevate reading proficiency. If we achieve our goal then we can also lower our crime rate, reduce poverty, and increase economic development in every corner of this City.”
“Our volunteers provide the extra tutoring that students need to read at grade level while instilling an appreciation that reading is fun,” said Turn the Page KC Executive Director, Mike English. “We tracked individual student reading progress for the students served by our volunteers and are pleased to see that this volunteer mentor program works.”
The mission of Turn the Page KC is to mobilize the community to achieve reading proficiency at grade level or above for all third graders in Kansas City, Missouri. Through applying for the All-America City Awards in 2011, Turn the Page KC emerged as a vehicle for discussion on how to increase the number of students reading at grade level in Kansas City, Missouri. Since, it has culminated into a new nonprofit organization led by Mayor James and a dedicated Board of Directors comprising of business, education, philanthropic, and community leaders.
