PORTLAND, Ore. — A new, independent study confirms that four early literacy programs funded by the PacifiCorp Foundation for Learning are helping improve literacy skills. In Oregon, the Foundation’s Project Optimize literacy program was found to help teachers successfully reach children who arrive at kindergarten needing an extra boost to become readers.

The Northwest Regional Educational Laboratory, a nonprofit education research, development and services firm, conducted the study of the early literacy programs’ initial and long-term effectiveness. The PacifiCorp Foundation for Learning is the charitable arm of PacifiCorp, which operates in six western states as Pacific Power and Utah Power.

“The results are encouraging,” said Dr. Steffen Saifer, director of the Northwest Regional Educational Laboratory’s Child and Family Program and principal investigator in the study. “Participating parents are reading to their children more often and are improving their own reading skills. This is particularly true among immigrant parents. Participating children are more interested in books and are more ready for kindergarten than children who did not participate in PacifiCorp Foundation for Learning-funded programs.” 

In 2002, the PacifiCorp Foundation selected three initiatives for funding: Oregon Project Optimize, Utah Motheread/Fatheread and Raising Readers of Wyoming. In 2004, it expanded its scope to fund Idaho’s Parents as Teachers Plus and Motheread/Fatheread Washington.
 
Created by University of Oregon researchers, Oregon’s Project Optimize provides phonologic and alphabetic instruction that prepares targeted kindergartners to be successful beginning readers. Students receive small-group instruction in a yearlong curriculum from a teacher or education assistant. The program complements the Start Making a Reader Today program to provide reading support.

More than 700 children have been impacted. An evaluation by Northwest Regional Educational Laboratory found that 78 percent of the children participating in Project Optimize were reading at benchmark by the end of kindergarten, as opposed to 57 percent of the children in the comparison group.

“This study confirms that we accomplished what we set out to do,” said Isaac Regenstreif, executive director of the PacifiCorp Foundation. “We targeted a need – early literacy, identified a strategy and helped implement a program that is sustainable and easily replicated.”

Oregon’s Project Optimize helps children close the achievement gap and become more successful readers by first grade. The six Oregon schools selected for Project Optimize were Boise-Eliot Elementary and Vestal Elementary in Portland, Little Butte Elementary in Eagle Point, Metolious Elementary in Madras, Parkside Elementary in Grants Pass and Warm Springs Elementary in Warm Springs.

“We are very pleased to be part of the project,” said Dawn Smith, principal of Warm Springs Elementary. “This program and teacher training fit right in with our current reading program, and we know it will enhance our students’ learning. This kind of initiative really sets the standard for the important work foundations can do when it comes to public schools.”

“Our first grade teachers are elated with the program because their students come into the school year better prepared,” said James Brannon, principal of Boise-Eliot Elementary.

At-risk children in Project Optimize schools did significantly better on reading assessments than did children from demographically similar schools where the project was not implemented. An estimated 20 percent of entering kindergartners in low socio-economic schools are at risk of reading failure.

“This has been a phenomenal undertaking, and we owe our success to the many partner organizations and schools that implemented these initiatives,” said Regenstreif. “It’s clear that these programs are helping kids have a better chance at succeeding in school.”

Project Optimize partners include the Oregon Department of Education, University of Oregon, Start Making a Reader Today program and Multnomah County Leaders Roundtable.

All PacifiCorp Foundation-funded programs exceeded their anticipated goals for the number of families and children served and the number of books distributed. Throughout all five states, more than 10,000 children have been impacted.

According to Regenstreif, these programs are building sustainable partnerships and are leveraging additional dollars from other funding sources. This means the programs will all likely continue beyond the three to four years of PacifiCorp Foundation for Learning funding.

For more information about the specific initiatives, go to  www.pacificorpfoundation.org .

Media inquiries:  newsdesk@pacificorp.com