Today, we are pleased to announce the winners of the Read Live School of the Year award. Students in the winning schools substantially improved their reading skills using Read Live in the 2018-2019 school year. Each of the winners demonstrated:

  • The school’s commitment to using Read Live with fidelity.
  • Students' growth in reading proficiency.
  • Positive changes in student attitudes and motivation.

From the many strong applications, we selected one grand prize winner ($2,000 Read Naturally gift certificate), two runner-ups ($500 Read Naturally gift certificate), and several honorable mentions ($100 Read Naturally gift certificate).

Our grand prize winner is Pioneer Elementary School in Pierz, MN, nominated by Miranda Hoheisel, SLD Special Education Teacher. Pioneer Elementary has been using Read Naturally Strategy programs for the last eight years as an intervention for Tier 2 and 3 students in grades 1–3. The program is also used with English language learners and students with dyslexia. According to Ms. Hoheisel: “In these eight years, we have found tremendous success in reading decoding, fluency, comprehension, and vocabulary with our most struggling readers. Within our intervention groups (grades 1–3) our students use the Read Naturally Live program and make more than a year’s growth in their reading skills. With the help of this program, we are able to get students on track to meet the end-of-the-year learning goals who start out being more than a year behind.”

Click here to read more about the incredible progress made by the hardworking teachers and students at Pioneer Elementary and to view a video of the students in action. 

Runner-ups for the Read Live School of the Year award are The Summit School in Edgewater, MD and Harrison Junior School in Harrison, OH. Click on the links for more information and videos about the inspiring teachers and students at these schools.

We also congratulate the following schools on winning honorable mentions:

The Lumpkin County Elementary School, Dahlonega, GA
Chamisa Elementary School, Los Alamos, NM
Mary Lou Cowlishaw Elementary School, Naperville, IL
Crooksville Elementary School, Crooksville, OH
iForward Wisconsin, Grantsburg, WI 
Leonard Elementary School, Ovid, MI
​Tilton School, Haverhill, MA

Congratulations to all the students and teachers at our winning schools, and thank you to each and every school that applied for this year’s award. We are proud of your success and eager to support you in years to come.