Three of Orange County's Leading Community-Based Organizations Sponsoring Presentation by Education-Reform Expert Paul Tough

Online, May 20, 2013 (Newswire.com) - Three of Orange County's leading community-based organizations are working together to address the countywide issue of closing the educational achievement gap experienced by many at-risk children.

The Children and Families Commission of Orange County, THINK (Teaching, Helping, Inspiring and Nurturing Kids) Together and Orange County United Way will use their collective expertise to open an ongoing countywide dialogue on education reform and work to develop strategies to improve educational outcomes for all children in Orange County.

The effort will get underway Wednesday, June 5 with a presentation by Paul Tough, a nationally known education-reform expert and best-selling author of the book, "How Children Succeed." Tough, who will speak at an Orange County Forum luncheon in Costa Mesa, will explore the concept of "character education," a method of teaching that fosters core values such as honesty, stewardship, courage and respect. His presentation is being sponsored by the three organizations.

Tough has written extensively about education, child development, poverty and politics and has been featured in The New York Times, Harper's Magazine, and on the National Public Radio program, This American Life.
Officials with the organizations said their hope is that all sectors of the community - business leaders, elected officials, educators, health care professionals and citizens - will join in the dialogue and work together toward solutions.

The Children and Families Commission, Orange County United Way and THINK Together all have long track records of successful outreach to Orange County's at-risk children. The Commission and THINK Together have teamed to provide comprehensive programs and services designed to help children acquire and improve early literacy proficiencies. Early language and math literacy has found to be a strong predictor of educational outcomes and collectively the organizations are working to expand access to early literacy programs to all children in Orange County.

According to an assessment by The Annie E. Casey Foundation, "One in six children who are not reading proficiently in third grade does not graduate from high school on time, a rate four times greater than that for proficient readers." Given the importance of early literacy for children's long-term outcomes, the Commission and THINK Together are implementing several proven early literacy programs including Reach Out and Read, Raising a Reader, and Read for the Record.

"Every child needs - deserves - an opportunity to enter school with skills, knowledge and development that will help them succeed in life; it is absolutely vital to their early learning and later success in life," said Sandra Barry, chair of the Children and Families Commission of Orange County. "THINK Together and Orange County United Way have worked for many years to provide opportunities for our children to succeed, and the Commission is honored to join them as together we work toward solutions to one of our county's most pressing issues."

The three organizations decided to work even more closely together on closing the achievement gap following the release of the 2013 Orange County Community Indicators report. Each year the report provides an in-depth look at how the county, and its residents, are faring in key areas such as education, housing, poverty levels and health care access. A section of this year's report highlights United Way's 2012 strategic planning and community engagement initiative, which culminated in a set of identified community goals in the areas of Education, Income, Health and Housing, which they will begin implementing later this year.

Now, beginning with the June 5 talk by Paul Tough, the three organizations are hoping to encourage an ongoing, meaningful education dialogue that ultimately results in collaborative solutions to one of the county' most pressing issues.

"We believe very strongly in the power of 'collective impact,'" said Max Gardner, president of Orange County United Way. "By uniting with other like-minded agencies and organizations that share our passion and commitment, we will be able to more fully reach out to and serve at-risk children and their families."

While Orange County has had some success in narrowing the educational achievement gap, much work remains - and the sense of urgency locally mirrors nationwide calls to action, with recent studies sounding the alarm at the growing achievement gap in communities across America. In February, the Equity and Excellence Commission - created by Congress in 2010 - released a report calling for immediate action at all levels of government to close the achievement gap. The Bridgespan Group found that while health outcomes are comparatively strong for Orange County children, there are major education achievement gaps with Latino and low-income children disproportionately impacted. Bridgespan emphasizes that the Commission - and its collaborative partners agree - must intervene to overcome early learning and therefore longer-term achievement gaps.

Randy Barth, founder and CEO of THINK Together, said: "Nothing is more important than creating a foundation for our children that enables them to succeed. Orange County cannot afford to allow the achievement gap to widen any further - and by joining forces, we are saying, in the loudest voice possible that the time to close it is now."

About the Children and Families Commission of Orange County
The Children and Families Commission of Orange County oversees the allocation of funds from Proposition 10, which added a 50-cent tax on tobacco products sold in California. Almost $30million was allocated last year to fund 161 programs that served more than 136,000 young children. Funds help pay for early education, pediatric primary and specialty health care, children's dental, homeless prevention, and child development programs for children from the birth to age 5 and their families. The Commission's goal is to ensure all children are healthy and ready to learn when they enter school. For more information, visit www.occhildrenandfamilies.com.

About Orange County United Way
Orange County United Way is a nonprofit organization that works to improve lives by mobilizing the caring power of Orange County to strengthen OUR community. To do this, we focus on the Building Blocks for a self-sufficient life: Education, Income, and Health, by investing in Orange County children, families, and individuals, helping them meet their most basic human needs-food, shelter, and medical care-while creating pathways to self-sufficient futures through education and training. In short, we help people help themselves. To learn more, visit www.unitedwayoc.org.

About THINK Together

THINK Together is one of the leading and largest nonprofit providers of academic support programs (early literacy, after-school, small group tutoring, summer learning, etc.) in the U.S., serving more than 100,000 students across 420 locations from San Diego to Sacramento. Partnering with school administrators and teachers, its academically oriented programs and dedicated team of 2,500 employees are helping students close the achievement gap. THINK is an acronym: Teaching, Helping, Inspiring & Nurturing Kids. For more information, call (888) 485-THINK or visit www.THINKtogether.org or www.facebook.com/THINKtogether