SAVANNAH IS TAKING ON ITS
MOST IMPORTANT CHALLENGE
In five years, 95% of Chatham County's 3rd graders will be reading at grade level. Not a school initiative.
A whole-community effort.
"We have gotten really good at admiring the problem. We need to stop"
- Frank Kendall, Secretary of the Air Force
3rd Grade Reading Changes Everything
Children learn to read through 3rd grade. After that, they read to learn. A child who isn't a proficient reader by the end of 3rd grade is four times more likely to drop out of high school, and significantly more likely to experience poverty, limited opportunity, and a lifetime of narrowed choices.
This isn't someone else's problem. Every non-proficient reader costs Chatham County taxpayers a minimum of $413, 844 over their lifetime.
"It is easier to build strong children than to repair broken men."
- Frederick Douglass
Our Goal...
95% of Chatham County's 3rd graders reading at grade level by 2031.
Where We Are Today
53.3%
Where We're Going
95%
The Gap We're Closing
42 pts
57% is the best result Chatham County has seen. It's still not enough. But it's moving in the right direction.
Institutional Patience
A five-year commitment, not a one-year program.
Accountability Culture
Progress is measured, reported, and public.
Sustained Civic Will
The community stays engaged beyond the launch.
Across Every Sector of Savannah
A Team of Teams
The Chatham Education Alliance serves as the backbone organization - coordinating community action across business, government, faith, healthcare, arts, nonprofits, philanthropy, higher education, and more. Every team works within one of five Lines of Effort.
Five Areas of Focus. One Goal.
Early Learning
Ensuring Savannah's youngest children have access to quality early care and that families have what they need to prepare children before they ever set foot in a classroom.
Direct Instruction
SCCPSS has adopted the Science of Reading, invested $2.7M in LETRS training for 1,200+ teachers, and adopted a $20M high quality curriculum.
Family Support
Equipping families with the knowledge, tools, and confidence to serve as their child's first teacher - and connecting them to the resources that make learning possible.
Education Workforce
Savannah cannot reach 95% without great teachers, and without a community that treats teaching as the critical profession it is.
Community Culture
Long-term change requires more than programs. It requires a community that believes public education can succeed - and it holds it accountable when it does and when it doesn't.
Everyone has a role. Find Yours:
SIGN THE PLEDGE
Savannah's business leaders are going on record. Add your name.
STAY INFORMED
Updates as the campaign progresses - data, wins, community voices and opportunities to support.