Literacy for all: The story of Sobral - JANUARY 2024 - BY ADAM BARTON AND GLORIA LEE

They aim to address the disheartening LITERACY FOR ALL: THE STORY OF SOBRAL reality that half of public school students in the rest of the country are still illiterate by the third grade. [...] Many of Sobral’s 210,000 residents work in agriculture or factories, and the city has historically had one of the country’s highest rates of poverty and one of the lowest rates of student achievement. [...] Jean Desravines, CEO of NewLeaders, credits the impact of the principals it has trained in part to the organization’s emphasis on instructional leadership: “By empowering principals with the skills to drive meaningful educational experiences, we not only enhance individual classrooms but contribute to the broader transformation of our education system.” Investing in educators Perhaps the most cruc. [...] researcher Douglas Reeves coined the phrase “90/90/90 schools” to describe schools where 90% or more of the students were eligible for free and reduced lunch, 90% of more of the students were members of ethnic minority groups, and 90% or more of the students met the district or state academic standards in reading or another area. [...] Acknowledgments The authors extend heartfelt gratitude to the families, educators, and leaders in Sobral for their candor and acolhimento, and to the dedicated team at the Lemann Foundation in Sobral for their invaluable assistance.