Ready-for-fifth Projects

The core of the Ready-for-fifth initiative is very simple:

1. get all 4th grade teachers and students to pledge to do all they can to have 100% of 4th graders achieve 100% mastery in K-4 math before the end of the 4th grade.
2. get providers of resources from learning tools and enabling technology to mentor/coaches to pledge to ensure no student fails to achieve the 100% mastery goal due to lack of access to needed resources.
3. get everyone to honor their pledges for the entire school year.

There are a number of sub-initiatives, or projects, that can contribute to getting everyone to pledge and to honor those pledges.  The following are some examples.  There are likely to be many more during the year.

1. 4th Grade Mastery Pledge Campaign: A multi-week, massive publicity campaign combined with local mailing, call and personal visit campaign resulting in millions of 4th grade students, their math teachers and parents to pledge to have close to 100% of 4th graders at close to 100% grade level mastery in math before the end of 4th grade. All will wear colored wristbands as symbol of their commitment.
2. Resource Availability Now Campaign: Computing device manufacturers, internet bandwidth providers, education software publishers/education cloud services providers pledge to ensure no student is unable to achieve the initiative goal due to lack of access to resources. A Needs Clearing House web application will facilitate quickly bringing needs to the attention of vendors and getting them satisfied.
3. Mentoring/Coaching Assistance Initiative: Tens of thousands of high school-, middle school- and college students, senior citizens & others complete an online mentoring/coaching training program and volunteer as mentor/coaches and programs to provide training and ongoing support for volunteer mentor/coaches.
4. Student-driven Education for a Better World Campaign: National network of engaged high school students spearheads local awareness, adoption & support of the initiative in every community in the country and also provides local reporters to report successes & failures to local & national press.
5. Incentive Pledge Initiative by sports & entertainment celebrities, sports teams, etc. pledge free tickets to sports games or other events or visits by celebrities to schools that achieve at least a certain % or goal achievement, thereby promoting ongoing awareness and interest in the initiative and provide additional motivation for students to strive to achieve the goal.
6. Community Support Initiative: Local political & business leaders, Chambers of Commerce, religious & youth organizations, service clubs, etc. join together in community support efforts to: actively encourage all students & teachers to pledge to this initiative; actively work to ensure teachers and students have all the resources they need to reach the goal and organize ongoing motivational and support activities during the entire year to make sure every student is progressing as effectively as possible to achieve the goal.
7. National Press/Media Reporting Campaign: This is a sub-division of the Student-driven Education for a Better World Campaign to publicize what is happening (or not happening) in the community with regard to achieving the goal of getting 100% of 4th graders to 100% grade level mastery by the end of 4th grade. This spreads bragging rights around and maintains high interest & involvement in initiative over entire year.