News Releases
Office of Governor Gary Locke
FOR IMMEDIATE RELEASE - December 13, 2002
Contact:  Governor's Communications Office, 360-902-4136

Gov. Gary Locke, Superintendent of Public Instruction Honor Tacoma School as December 'Reading School of the Month'

TACOMA – Dec. 13, 2002 – Gov. Gary Locke and Terry Bergeson, state superintendent of public instruction, today presented DeLong Elementary School in Tacoma with the “Reading School of the Month” award for December 2002.

“Reading is the key to all academic success,” Locke told DeLong students today. “No matter what you want to do when you grow up, you have to start by being a good reader. I am so proud of all the progress students at DeLong Elementary have made in reading.”

The school has seen exceptional gains during the last seven years, experiencing a 33.5 percentage point increase in reading scores. According to the Washington Assessment of Student Learning (WASL), the school was 7.2 percent below the state average in reading in 1997. In 2001, 74.2 percent of DeLong students were reading at or above the state standard. All of the school’s demographic groups have experienced these gains.

“There is an exciting energy about reading here at DeLong that can be attributed to the dedication of wonderful teachers, administrators and parents, all focused on making sure each of you learns to read,” Bergeson told the students. “Reading is not only fun, but it opens up doors to a bright future. I am so impressed on how well DeLong students are doing.”

Fifty-one percent of DeLong’s 445 students qualify for the free or reduced lunch program.

Locke and Bergeson read “When Cats Dream” by Dave Pilkey to an all-school assembly. They also presented an autographed copy of the book to the school.

The governor and the superintendent started the “Reading School of the Month” program in January of this year to raise awareness about the importance of reading.


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