A Child Impact Statement Reporting System, created to promote child well-being in Shelby County, is hailed as a national model. By 2007, the children of Memphis and Shelby County, Tennessee were in crisis.
Research tells us that children’s earliest experiences influence their development, academic success and later outcomes (King et al. 2010) and that a family’s home environment plays a large role in early childhood experiences.
There is good news when it comes to state level public policy: policymakers increasingly recognize that workforce development and global competitiveness demand that we close the achievement gap, and prepare all students to succeed in school and in life.
New research highlights the importance of ensuring that students read at grade level before grade four. This is why reading at grade-level is a critical milestone on the Memphis City School’s Cradle to Career Roadmap.
Many children's advocates and service providers are familiar with the work of Ruby Payne, who focuses on understanding and working with students and adults from poverty. Dr.
Across the country, early learning educators and advocates are working to narrow the kindergarten readiness gap between low and higher-income students. This is a vital concern in Memphis where more than half of children are born into poverty.