Book of Success Letters in Kentucky - A Great Legislative Tool

For the second consecutive year, Kentucky Reading Recovery professionals have compiled a 100-page color anthology of success letters as an advocacy piece for elected officials.

Copies of this year’s booklet have been provided to Kentucky’s governor and first lady, legislators who represent the districts from which the letters originated, and to education committee members.

Lindy Harmon, Statewide Teacher Leader at the University of Kentucky Reading Recovery Center, says “The process begins in the fall when letters from teacher leaders are written to teachers, asking them to solicit letters and pictures from parents and administrators. Teachers provide a simple format for the story letters, asking the authors to keep the letters short and emphasize the success.” Those letters are then emailed to the UTCs where the most significant ones are published.

As a result, there is now hardly a legislator in Kentucky who isn’t aware of Reading Recovery, according to Lindy. In addition, the booklet can be used by legislators as a source for testimonials on the House and Senate floors. Support for state funding in Kentucky has been directly or indirectly linked to the distribution of the booklet.

For more information on how to duplicate this effort in your state, please contact Lindy Harmon at Lindy.Harmon@uky.edu. Kudos to those who made this project a success!