1. M E M O R A N D U M

FLORIDA DEPARTMENT OF EDUCATION
?
STATE BOARD OF EDUCATION
?
John L. Winn
Commissioner of Education
T. WILLARD FAIR,
Chairman
F. PHILIP HANDY,
Vice Chairman
Members
DONNA G. CALLAWAY
ROBERTO MARTÍNEZ
PHOEBE RAULERSON
KATHLEEN SHANAHAN
LINDA K. TAYLOR
December 18, 2006
M E M O R A N D U M
TO:
?
District School Superintendents
K-12
Principals
FROM:
?
Evan B. Lefsky, Ph.D.
SUBJECT:
?
Families Building Better Readers and Mysteries in the Middle Training for
Parents
Just Read, Florida! is committed to increasing parental involvement as a key way to help
students improve their reading skills. Our goal this year is significant. We would like to train
250,000
parents on reading skills through our signature programs -- Families Building Better
Readers and Mysteries in the Middle.
After finishing the Guinness World Record attempt, we know that there is can-do energy aplenty
to help us reach this goal. We are partnering with the Volunteer Florida Foundation to help us
coordinate this effort, and we would like to share how this partnership will work, and how we
would like you to be involved.
1. We have revised the materials for Families Building Better Readers and Mysteries in the
Middle. Materials are on-line at http://www.justreadflorida.com/fbbr.asp or
http://www.flafamilyliteracy.org/building_better_readers.php. These are free to download, and
if you have difficulty downloading, please contact fbbrinfo@volunteerflorida.org.
2. Volunteer Florida Foundation has already trained over a hundred new district trainers. It is
critical that once trained, trainers report both trainings they provide (Families Building Better
Readers or Mysteries in the Middle), as well as the number of participants in each training to
EVAN B. LEFSKY, PH.D.
?
EXECUTIVE DIRECTOR, JUST READ, FLORIDA!
?
325 W. GAINES STREET, ROOM 1548 • TALLAHASSEE, FL 32399-0400 • (850) 245-0503 • www.fldoe.org

Memorandum to Superintendents and Principals
Page 2
fbbrinfo@volunteerflorida.org. Copies of evaluations from the trainings may be held at the
district level. Without this information, it will be impossible for us to report to the Legislature
our efforts to increase parental involvement and to continue to request funding for this very
important program.
3. Volunteer Florida Foundation will host six regional trainings in January and February for
those interested in attending a train-the-trainer workshop. We are requesting that each school
have their reading/literacy coach attend one of the six regional trainings. The training dates are
listed on the Master Calendar of Trainings which can be found at
http://www.justreadflorida.com/fbbr.asp.
4. At the end of the year, we will send a final report to the Commissioner of Education and the
Governor on the number of parents trained by school districts. We are requesting that each
district appoint one lead person who will report this data to the Volunteer Florida Foundation,
and who will serve as our lead contact. Please email information regarding your district’s lead
contact to fbbrinfo@volunteerflorida.org by January 15, 2007.
Thank you for your commitment to increasing parent participation in literacy initiatives within
your district.
EBL

Back to top