San Diego Unified School District News Releases: SAN DIEGO UNIFIED CELEBRATES LITERACY EDUCATION IN MARCH

FOR IMMEDIATE RELEASE

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James Canning, 313-580-2845, jcanning@sandi.net

SAN DIEGO UNIFIED CELEBRATES LITERACY EDUCATION IN MARCH
Board of Education Tuesday Night Recognized March 2 as National Read Across America Day

SD Unified School Sites to Celebrate Student Literacy with various activities March 2-6

SAN DIEGO (February 25, 2026) – The Board of Education had officially recognized March 2 as National Read Across America Day, reaffirming the San Diego Unified School District's commitment to advancing literacy achievement. The resolution was authored by Trustees Sharon Whitehurst-Payne and Shana Hazan. Schools across the district will celebrate Read Across America Week from March 2-6 with various engaging activities designed to spark a love of reading and strengthen literacy skills among students.

The celebration comes as San Diego Unified continues to demonstrate strong literacy gains. According to the 2025 National Assessment of Educational Progress (NAEP), the district outperformed California and other large urban districts in reading from 2019 to 2024. Fourth- and eighth-grade reading scores remain among the highest of big-city districts and continue to trend upward.

"Literacy is the foundation for opportunity," said Superintendent Fabi Bagula, Ph.D. "When our students read proficiently, they gain confidence, curiosity, and the ability to think critically about the world around them. Our continued growth in reading achievement reflects the hard work of our educators, the engagement of our families, and the determination of our students."

Throughout the week of March 2-6, San Diego Unified schools will host guest readers from the community, themed spirit days, book swaps, read-a-thons, and special literacy events. Superintendent Bagula and members of the Board of Education will visit school sites to read with students and celebrate the joy of books.

This year also marks the 30th anniversary of a longstanding partnership between Central Elementary School in City Heights and the Lawyers Club of San Diego. During Read Across America Week, the annual Spring Read-In will once again bring attorneys and judges into classrooms to read with students, a collaboration that has inspired generations of young readers while fostering meaningful community connections.

San Diego Unified has set an ambitious literacy goal: performance of students in grades 3–8 and 11 on California Assessment of Student Performance and Progress (CAASPP) Smarter Balanced Assessment (SBA) ELA portion will increase 18 points—from 6.9 points above standard in June 2024 to 24.9 points above standard by June 2030.

"Improving literacy achievement is central to our Student Achievement Goals," said Shawna Codrington, Ed.D., Director of Literacy. "Through targeted support, professional learning, and side-by-side coaching, we are ensuring our schools have the tools and strategies needed to empower students as critical things and lifelong readers."

Although we know there is still important work ahead, we celebrate the continued growth and progress of our students in English Language Arts. Based on the most recent 2025 CAASPP results, 56.2% of students met or exceeded standards in ELA, an increase of 2 percentage points from last year. In addition, the district saw meaningful improvement in Distance From Standard (DFS), a key measure of how students are progressing toward grade-level expectations, with ELA DFS improving by 5.2 points. These gains reflect the hard work of our students and educators and our district's ongoing commitment to strengthening literacy outcomes for all learners.

The Department of Literacy, Equity, Access & Opportunity shared these Read Across America recommendations

Elementary, middle, and high school staff will use the recommendations as a planning resource. They will also share with their families to encourage their students to participate in the Read Across America Spirit Week.

Fay Elementary: February 27, 1:00 p.m.

This event has been held for several years in partnership with the United Way of San Diego, aims to engage students, families, and educators in celebrating the power of reading and promoting early literacy skills. Senator Dr. Akilah Weber will gift families books to encourage reading at home.

Franklin Elementary: March 2; 8:00 a.m.-9:00 a.m.

Hosting guest speakers who will read to students in their classrooms and talk about their career.

Porter Elementary: March 2, 9:00 a.m. - 11:00 a.m.

Students will be greeted by members of the San Diego Fire Department including Fire Chief Robert Logan and Captain Paul Shuttleworth as well as Trustee Dr. Sharon Whitehurst-Payne. Students will have the opportunity to tour a fire truck and learn about firefighter equipment. The firefighters and Trustee Whitehurst-Payne will read aloud to students in their classrooms.

Juarez Elementary: March 2, 2:00 p.m.

Shana is attending this event. Juarez reached out directly to Shana to invite. The board office does not have information/details on this event.

Mira Mesa Cluster: March 3, 8:00 a.m. to 1:45 p.m.

Deputy Superintendent Nicole DeWitt and Board Trustee Sabrina Bazzo will join the Mira Mesa cluster to celebrate Read Across America with Jonas Salk Elementary, Sandburg Elementary, and Mira Mesa High School students and families. The event will include dance, yoga, band/theater, face paint/crafts, and other stations that attendees can visit and participate in activities.
As part of this event, Mira Mesa High School students will welcome kindergarten classes for a dynamic, literacy-focused experience designed to inspire a lifelong love of reading. Young learners will rotate through interactive stations featuring hands-on crafts, one-on-one reading with high school mentors, and special "celebrity readers," including representatives from the San Diego Police Department, San Diego Fire-Rescue Department, and a local children's author. The Mira Mesa High School dance team will perform, students will participate in a fun yoga session, and kindergarteners will even step into the school's news studio to read from a teleprompter, creating an unforgettable celebration of literacy and student connection.

Chollas Mead Elementary: March 3, 9:30 a.m - 11:00 am

The school will be hosting Mayor Todd Gloria. As part of the celebration, community partners will be on campus reading to students to promote literacy and foster a love of reading.

Horton Elementary: March 4, 8:30 a.m. - 11:45 a.m.

Teachers and students will read and explore books that students can see themselves reflected in, as well as books that allow readers to see a world or a character that might be different from them. It's a week of celebration of joyful literacy- they also hold a spirit week with special dress up days, have reading challenges, a bookmark contest, invite families to join for "books and a BBQ" and have guest readers throughout the week.

Euclid Elementary: March 6, 9:00 a.m. - 11:00 a.m.

Board Trustee Sharon Whitehurst-Payne invited by principal, Jose Valdez, and will attend 9:00-9:30am

Central Elementary: March 6, 10:30-11:15am and 12:15pm-1:15pm

This year also marks the 30th anniversary of a longstanding partnership between Central Elementary School in City Heights and the Lawyers Club of San Diego. During Read Across America Week, the annual Spring Read-In will once again bring attorneys and judges into classrooms to read with students, a collaboration that has inspired generations of young readers while fostering meaningful community connections.

Green Elementary: Date and time to be determined

The Principal will read a book that was written and illustrated by one of her students called Be...A Celebration of Everything You Can Be by Gauri Anaya Bhavnani. The book will be read aloud over Zoom to the whole school and each class will get a copy for their classroom library.

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