About

The Baltimore Campaign for Grade Level Reading is a collaborative effort of funders, nonprofits and public organizations to close the gap in reading achievement that separates many low-income students from their peers; raise the bar for reading proficiency so that all students are assessed by world-class standards; and ensure that all children, including and especially children from low-income families, have an equitable opportunity to meet those higher standards.

Project Overview

Reading proficiency by third grade is the most important predictor of high school graduation and career success. Yet every year, more than 80 percent of low-income children miss this crucial milestone. In partnership with the Baltimore Grade Level Reading Campaign, MICA’s Center for Social Design will engage in a human-centered design process to research and understand the unique challenges around grade level reading in Baltimore and develop a communications and engagement strategy.

As part of this process, MICA’s Center for Social Design will facilitate a series of design workshops engaging Baltimore City families (parents, caregivers, kids, etc.) and key stakeholders (community leaders, teachers, librarians, non-profits, and city agencies) in the development of communication tools, strategies, and messages that promote reading. This process will help build excitement for the launch of a city-wide campaign Summer 2015, and insure that the design and messaging of the campaign resonates with Baltimore families.

Designers

Cary Euwer, Emily Ianacone, Missan Madani, Cally Markovsky, Meltem Sahin, Jen Sullivan, Li Zang