Initial Funding of 6.4 Million Provided by the Kansas City Royals Foundation and Sherman Family Foundation
After hosting multiple data summits and listening sessions with school leaders, families, businesses, and community stakeholders in the spring of 2023 and 2024, SchoolSmartKC is thrilled to announce the launch of a city-wide literacy plan. This plan aims to improve third-grade literacy levels and strengthening the academic foundation for students by bringing together schools, community partners, families, and the public to collaborate on ensuring strong literacy outcomes for students in Kansas City.
“We know that over 250,000 adults in the Kansas City Metropolitan Area are not yet literate,” says Dr. Angelique Nedved, CEO and President. “With fewer than 25% of students reading on grade level by third grade, bold and timely action is required to ensure our youth are literate. The ability to read by third grade is essential, not only for academic success, but also for economic mobility, civic engagement, our workforce and society. Students with lower literacy rates are likely to face lifelong challenges, including limited access to employment, health care, and economic opportunities. This plan is built on proven, time-tested strategies that we know will yield results within four years.”
When fully funded, this program will equip 41 elementary schools with full-time literacy coaches and high dosage tutoring during the school day for every Kindergarten through 3rd grade student. Additionally, it will establish a leadership cohort for elementary school leaders to build capacity and ensure schools are successfully supporting our educators for ongoing literacy improvements.
“It is essential that this work happens in EVERY school in our footprint.” Dr. Robin Henderson, Chief Program Officer, adds. “With one in three students in Kansas City being mobile, many students attend multiple schools within the same school year, and so it is imperative that we provide consistency within every elementary school so that no matter which school a student attends they can access the same quality education and family resources.”
Thanks to a generous donation of $6.4 million from The Kansas City Royals Foundation and Sherman Family Foundation, the first phase of this work will begin in nine elementary schools with literacy coaches expected to start with the 2024/5 school year. A significant portion of this investment is provided by QuikTrip, who has committed to supporting literacy efforts alongside the Royals in the Kansas City community. This investment reflects a continuation of the commitment made to literacy by the Kansas City Royals through the Royals Literacy League, an exciting reading-awareness and inspiration campaign that launched within these schools in 2024. However, full implementation of this strategy will require additional support from the Kansas City community.
“We listened to the community—our families, educators, and businesses—and we are thrilled to implement a model that addresses a complex concern for our city,” says Dr. Nedved. “We are deeply appreciative of the Sherman Family and Royals Foundation for being the first to step up and support this initiative. Their ongoing commitment to literacy and to our students is inspirational, and we would not be in the place to start this work without their thought partnership and support. We now call on the entire community to join us in extending this plan to the remaining 32 elementary schools. Everyone has a role in this support – these are our students, and this is our city – our future depends on it.
SchoolSmartKC is inviting the community to get involved, with many options available for individuals, agencies, or whole organizations, including funding, adopting a school to provide literacy supplies, becoming an in-school tutor, and helping to build awareness around the critical need for literacy supports in Kansas City.
If you are interest in getting involved in our literacy work, please visit www.schoolsmartkc.org/literacy, or contact Dr. Robin Henderson at rhenderson@schoolsmartkc.org.