MMSD Launches “Mad for Reading” Literacy Campaign

The Madison Metropolitan School District (MMSD) has officially launched its “Mad for Reading” literacy campaign, geared toward fostering a love of books in learners of all ages and encouraging family participation in students’ development through shared reading experiences.

The launch of the campaign aligns with Wisconsin’s Act 20, which mandates that schools and districts focus on phonics in their literacy curricula, and prohibits the use of the “three-cueing” model that largely bases instruction on “meaning, structure and syntax, and visual cues or memory,” and has been proven ineffective.

“In MMSD, we are grounded in the science of reading … and ensuring that all of our students have the foundational skills they need to be successful,” said Cindy Green, MMSD’s assistant superintendent of teaching and learning. “We know we can't do this work alone—we know it takes a village to raise a child—and that that’s why we are so grateful to have amazing partners in our community who are just as committed to literacy as we are.”

Those partners include Madison Reading Project, United Way of Dane County, Madison Public Schools Foundation, Madison Public Library, Urban League of Greater Madison, Schools of Hope, and The Information School at UW–Madison. Importantly, they also extend to parents and guardians, whose engagement and support outside of the classroom is as valuable as in-classroom instruction. 

“This is our chance, Madison,” said Superintendent Dr. Joe Gothard. “This is our chance to do something great that we can all be part of. This is something that can last a lifetime … for the children who are here and the children that are yet to be served in MMSD. We know that our communities will be stronger, they’ll be healthier, they’ll thrive in many ways when a love for reading is established.”

The next district-wide event that ties into “Mad for Reading” is Read Your Heart Out, which has been presented annually in February for 20 years, and sees schools invite family members, community partners and volunteers who identify as African American/Black to read books, recite poetry and connect with students through visual and oral storytelling, in concert with Black History Month and National African American Parent Involvement Day. 

Read Your Heart Out will commence on Monday, Feb. 10, at 10 a.m. on the MMSD YouTube page.