PHILADELPHIA (KYW Newsradio) — Several thousand of Philadelphia's third graders have completed a challenge to read 20 books outside of their regular schoolwork.
In December, Superintendent Tony Watlington laid down a challenge for the district’s 9,000 third graders to read 20 books in 20 weeks. Now, those 20 weeks are up and more than 3,000 of them completed the challenge.
"The research shows that it's important to lay the foundation for our students in early grade levels, for them to be able to be successful," she said.
The $588,000 program was designed simply to spark a love of reading in young students, and to pay for academic dividends, says LaTanya Miller, the district's executive director for academic support.
In addition to their growing libraries at home, students who completed the challenge were given lanyards and Philadelphia Zoo tickets.
"I think a lanyard, while it sounds like a small token, to a third-grade student they get really excited when they get something handed to them for the work that they did," said Randi Davila, the head of the district's new Office of Student Life.
In a district where only one-third of third graders read on grade level, Miller says it's important for them to transition from learning to read to reading to learn, adding that third grade is a critical time for students to be able to do that.
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