On Friday, July 22, 2022, hundreds of students from summer camps in Jacksonville gathered at the Prime Osborn Convention Center in Downtown Jacksonville to celebrate the Supadupa Summer Literacy Initiative.

More than half of Duval County's third graders can't read at grade level, and the percentage has decreased over the past four years. Children from impoverished, minority communities lag the most, even though parents across all demographic categories recognize the importance of early literacy, according to new research from the Jacksonville Public Education Fund. Reversing the trend will take a communitywide effort that eliminates barriers that hinder parental involvement, JPEF says.

JACKSONVILLE, Fla. – Duval County education advocates know it’s not just students who are on social media, and they’re challenging parents to team up with their children for a social media challenge this summer. READ JAX, a community-wide initiative to increase third-grade reading scores in Duval County, announced the social media contest, “READ JAX Summer Social Challenge,” to highlight the importance of reading at least 20 minutes a day. The challenge runs through the end of July.