Pathways to Grade-Level Reading
Access data-driven tools and connect with partners to advance equitable strategies that help every child read on grade-level.
Envisioning a future where every child in NC reads proficiently by the end of third grade
Reading well in the early grades predicts a child’s academic and career success. The Pathways to Grade-Level Reading initiative drives actionable strategies towards grade-level reading for every child in NC, regardless of race, ethnicity, or socioeconomic status.
Beginning in 2015, Pathways was built by more than one hundred of NC’s leaders working across disciplines, sectors, systems, and political aisles, culminating in a data framework and a policy framework to help drive action in our state towards grade-level reading for every child:
- Pathways Shared Measures of Success: research-based measures that inform the foundation for building North Carolina’s prenatal-through-eight system at state and local levels
- Pathways Action Framework: a path forward through policy and strategy actions to improve children’s third-grade reading achievement and overall well-being
The Pathways Frameworks helped inform North Carolina’s Early Childhood Action Plan and are an important resource for the children’s health and development field.
Science of Reading Implementation Series
An eight-part series published in 2025 -2026
Taking a Stand for Early Care and Education: North Carolina’s Fight for Access, Equity and Fairness:
An eight-part series published in 2024 – 2025
Policy & Practice Briefs to Eliminate Child Care & Preschool Exclusion:
An eight-part series published in 2024
Pathways to Grade-Level Reading Policy and Practice Action Toolkit:
A five-part series published in 2023 – 2024
Policy & Practice Briefs to Eliminate Child Care & Preschool Exclusion:
An eight-part series published in 2023 – 2024
News and Resources
Recent Publications
Explore our Pathways posts to learn about our most recent publications that leverage data and target policies statewide and in your local area.
Summer Learning Toolkit
Summer programs are vital to summer learning and ensuring that students stay on track academically. Program providers play an important and trusted role in supporting families and caregivers to help summer be both a break from school and a fun opportunity for learning. Using the practical tools included in this toolkit, YOU can help make it possible for every child to succeed.
Data Sources on NC Children and Families
Find important data on NC children and families – these links can help leaders and organizations have a data-driven discussion and make decisions on a local and state level.
What can you do?
Visit the Pathways Action Map to learn about organizations across NC taking action to advance the 40+ policy and strategy areas, or “actions”, in the Pathways Action Framework that impact grade-level reading and child well-being.
Pathways Timeline
Implementing the Science of Reading Briefs are Published
The Science of Reading implementation briefs share research-informed strategies and lessons learned from a year-long professional learning community of North Carolina educators. The briefs help policymakers, district leaders, and educators strengthen reading instruction for every North Carolina child. Access the Science of Reading briefs.
Pathways Policy and Practice Action Toolkit Series is Published and Taking a Stand for Early Care and Education Series is Published
These policy and practice briefs offer guidance on how policymakers, advocates, nonprofits, business leaders, and other stakeholders can work together to help more North Carolina children read on grade-level by third grade.
The NC Early Childhood Data Advisory Council is Constituted and Meets Regularly
The NC Early Childhood Data Advisory Council is formed to provide strategic direction and use its influence and decision-making authority to improve the quality and scope of early childhood data collection and use in data-driven decision-making. The Council meets regularly for four years. Read the final summary report.
The Pathways Action Framework is Released
The Pathways Action Framework is released. It lays out expectations for state and local child and family systems in the critical areas of children’s social emotional health, high quality early care and education, and regular school attendance, with the aim of improving third grade reading proficiency and overall child and family well-being. See the framework.
Convenings and Parent Stakeholder Meetings
Fourteen communities across the state hold meetings with local providers to provide input for the Pathways Action Framework and release a report synthesizing the voices of more than 2,000 North Carolina parents about what helps and hinders them in fostering children’s healthy development. Read the Report: Not About Me, Without Me.
Pathways Convenings Begin & Measures of Success Framework is Finalized
The Pathways Partners stakeholder group – more than one hundred of NC’s leaders working across disciplines, sectors, systems, and political aisles – convenes to launch the Pathways Initiative. After many convenings, Pathways Partners and the Data Action Team finalize the Measures of Success Framework and define the Pathways Initiative’s theory of change. Read the Pathways Case Study to learn the why and how behind the creation of the Pathways Initiative.
Pathways to Grade-Level Reading Partners
The following organizations, agencies, and businesses recommend that the shared Measures of Success serve as the foundation for building North Carolina’s state and local birth-through-eight system and agree that the actions in the Action Framework, if well-implemented, can improve children’s third grade reading and well-being outcomes.
Click here to add your organization, agency, or business to the list.
- Alamance Achieves
- Alamance Partnership for Children
- The Arc of NC
- Ashe County Partnership for Children
- Bailey Elementary School
- BEST NC
- Black Child Development Institute – Charlotte
- Blue Ridge Community College
- Book Harvest
- Buncombe Partnership for Children
- Cape Fear Collective
- Catholic Charities
- Center for Child and Family Health
- Center for Educational Measurement and Evaluation, UNC
- Charlotte
- Chatham Reads
- ChildTrust Foundation
- Child Care Services Association
- Child First National Program Office
- Child First – NC
- Community Care of North Carolina
- The Community Foundation of Western North Carolina
- Communities In Schools of North Carolina
- Craven Smart Start
- Down East Partnership for Children
- Duke World Food Policy Center
- The Duke Endowment
- Duplin County Partnership for Children
- Durham’s Partnership for Children
- East Durham Children’s Initiative
- Exchange Family Center
- Family Support Network
- Family Resource Center South Atlantic
- Forsyth Partnership for Children and Families
- Frank Porter Graham Child Development Institute
- Govan-Hunt Staff Development, LLC & Critical Curriculum Consulting
- Growing Moore Readers
- Guilford County Department of Health and Human Services, Public Health Division
- Head Start Collaboration Office
- Helps Education Fund
- Hoke County Schools
- Innovative Care Network
- Institute for Emerging Issues at NC State University
- Johnston County Partnership for Children
- The Leandro Commission
- The Kaleidoscope Project
- Marbles Kids Museum
- MomsRising
- Montgomery County Partnership for Children
- Motheread, Inc.
- myFutureNC Commission
- NC Alliance of YMCAs
- NC Association for the Education of Young Children
- NC Child
- NC Child Treatment Program
- NC Department of Health and Human Services – Early Intervention Branch
- NC Division of Child Development and Early Education
- NC Head Start Association
- NC Infant and Young Child Mental Health Association
- NC Justice Center
- NC Partnership for Children/Smart Start
- NC Pediatric Society
- NC Rural Center
- NC School Superintendents’ Association
- NC State Board of Education
- Onslow County Partnership for Children
- OpenSource Leadership Strategies
- Partnership for Children of Cumberland County
- Partnership for Children of Johnston County
- Partnership for Children of Wayne County
- Prevent Child Abuse North Carolina
- Reach Out and Read Carolinas
- Read and Feed
- Read Wayne
- Ready for School, Ready for Life – Guilford County
- Region A Partnership for Children
- Robeson County Partnership for Children
- Smart Start of Forsyth County
- Smart Start of Mecklenburg County
- Smart Start of New Hanover County
- Smart Start of Transylvania County
- Southwestern Child Development Commission
- Stokes Partnership for Children
- Triangle Community Foundation
- Twin Cities Read to Rise of Nash/Edgecombe Counties
- United Way of Alamance County
- United Way of the Greater Triangle
- United Way of North Carolina
- Wake County Smart Start
- WAKE Up and Read
- Wayne Action Group for Economic Solvency, Inc. (WAGES)
- Wayne County Department of Social Services
- Wilkes Community Partnership for Children
- Winer Family Foundation