The Harwood Institute: Reading, PA
A national news story once named Reading the nation’s poorest community. It’s a story that has stuck to the community as if Reading will never thrive again. But what if that old news no longer fits?
What if Reading already is more than it once was?
Reading’s Ripples of Change
A New Culture of Shared Responsibility
Reading’s Ripples of Change is a critical, new report that reveals a community-driven agenda for education and for the community.
About the Report:
Centro Hispano and The Harwood Institute for Public Innovation released a progress report in November 2024, Reading’s Ripples of Change, revealing an update on the community-driven agenda for education and for the community.
At a time when so many community initiatives seem to stall out or fade away, Reading is creating real systemic change by taking a different approach.
Reading’s Ripples of Change is a progress report and a roadmap for growing and accelerating change over time.
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The Extraordinary Transformation of a City and its Schools
In the wake of the pandemic, Reading, Pennsylvania was facing a daunting reality: nearly a third of residents living in poverty, thousands of students chronically absent, and a community that many outside observers had quietly written off.
This two-part podcast series, co-produced by Courageous Conversations About Our Schools & The Harwood Institute, tells the story of what happened when local leaders refused to accept that future.
LISTEN NOW:
Reading Thriving, Together
Reading Thriving, Together is a critical, new report that reveals a community-driven agenda for education and for the community.
A New Agenda for Education and the Community
About the Report:
Centro Hispano and The Harwood Institute for Public Innovation released a report in December 2021, Reading Thriving, Together, revealing a community-driven agenda for education and for the community.
Over a five-month period, 16 community conversations were conducted with residents from 12 different neighborhoods across Reading; 5 were held in Spanish. In-depth interviews were conducted with 36 community leaders across education, non-profits, religious institutions, businesses and other areas.
Local residents, students, teachers, and community leaders seek meaningful shared action that calls on the community to step forward and ensure that all young people and families have the support and opportunities they need. Current efforts in Reading are making a real difference for young people and families, but they are not nearly enough to meet the community’s call for action.
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Clic en la imagen para ver el reporte
Resource Portal:
After-School & Out-of-School Activities:
A highly-competitive and survival-focused orientation defined Reading's afterschool activity providers in the past. But in just a couple of years, a transformation has occurred. Sparked by what they learned in Harwood's Getting Started Lab, the team decided this effort was going to go further than just getting together. They were going to work together on behalf of Reading's youth and families to accomplish far more than they could in isolation.
The impact has been more profound than a mere increase in after-school programming. A once-fragmented ecosystem of after-school activity providers is now working together in mutually reinforcing ways and efforts have spread to a number of unexpected areas. The team has created better mental health support for youth. Innovative approaches to preventing violence. Safe places for youth to go after school. New opportunities for youth leadership. And a growing sense of safety and connection among neighbors. A once-frayed civic culture is being strengthened, day by day.