Download the Community Solutions Action Plan Executive Summary.

The Problem
The biggest challenge facing our community is disproportionate achievement rates of minority students and students in
poverty. While overall our students are achieving at a high level, a disproportionate rate of minority students are entitled
to Special Education services: 11.45% black, 2.37% Hispanic, and 2.72% multi-racial in 2011-12. Whether we look at
reading achievement, school attendance, or school readiness, the story is the same.
In addition, while many Dubuque students demonstrate success in 3rd Grade Reading Achievement based on the Basic
Reading Inventory, of the 14% of students not meeting 3rd grade reading targets, half (7%) are entitled. The remaining 3rd
grade students are overwhelmingly black, male and receive free and reduced lunch services.
Dubuque students arrive at kindergarten ready to learn and data shows our four-year old preschool is a major
factor in driving these school readiness rates. However, the program is at risk due to state funding challenges and a
disproportionate number of students from at-risk populations are still not school-ready by age 5.
Similarly, while the Average Daily Attendance (ADA) rate in our schools is 95%, the opportunity remains to reach the most
at-risk students who are not attending at rates that promote achievement. We need to improve our attendance data.
Improving summer learning opportunities may be our community’s most significant opportunity. While we have an
abundance of summer activities for our young people, there is little coordination among these activities and a significant
need to incorporate learning opportunities into these programs to support the school curriculum.
We can also impact each of these challenges with broader strategies including improved coordination of efforts and
resources, and aligning provided and proposed services with a Collective Impact model.
Finally, we must consider how our policies can better ensure:
• More proportionate density of poverty and minorities within schools
• Improved access to summer learning opportunities for all young people
• An engaged health community that provides lead-testing and wellness care
• High attendance standards for kindergarten and four-year-old preschool
• Employer awareness of how policies affect parents’ abilities to support children
• Issues like attendance are addressed in community-based organization programming
• School attendance policies are fair and consistently enforced district-wide.
Our goal is to find models to help impact the most vulnerable students while building on current success. We will build on
our strong history of partnerships, collaboration, and innovation to move our 3rd Grade Reading Achievement from good
to great.
3rd Grade Reading Community Solutions Action Plan Executive Summary | Dubuque, Iowa | Page 2