Santa Ana Focuses on Literacy

Santa Ana Mayor Miguel A. Pulido plans to start a long-term literacy campaign next month, and he is calling on business leaders, civic leaders, educators and celebrities to help.

The campaign, organized after city students registered dismal scores in standardized tests last year, is expected to include a World Wide Web page on reading, book sales, City Council certificates for “reading champions”--individuals who have promoted literacy in the community--and a reading conference at the end of the year.

Much of the first year of the campaign will be focused on urging residents to participate in more than 80 literacy programs offered by schools, public libraries and nonprofit groups.

“As we look at the new millennium, we are going to continually ask ourselves, ‘How are we going to improve the children’s education,’ ” Pulido said. “This [campaign] is one of the ways.”

The reading campaign kicks off in February with a reception and the unveiling of its logo. Organizers are trying to line up a celebrity to speak at the event with the hope that a bit of star power will get people interested in the message. The goal, they said, is to turn Santa Ana, the governmental center of Orange County, into a “reading city.”

Organizers are striving to blanket the city--certainly stores, schools and government buildings--with signs that remind adults of the importance of reading to children, said Ruben Martinez, a bookstore owner who worked on a committee to plan the campaign.

Taking It to the Streets

Organizers are considering street banners, public service announcements and radio and television ads. The city will also ask businesses and neighborhood organizations to offer story times and reading activities to residents.

“We have to start them young. We have to read to the kids before they go to schools,” Martinez said. “I’ve been to kindergarten classes where the children don’t know what to do with books. They don’t know whether to bite it or hit someone on the head with it.”

Some members of the committee, composed of business owners, educators and city officials, said that the initiative makes sense, especially in a city whose motto for several years has been “Education First.”

Martinez said living up to the motto has been difficult for the city because the majority of the student population lacks fluency in English and because schools have become overcrowded.

City officials said that about 70% of the 50,000 students enrolled in Santa Ana public schools are not fluent in English, a factor that many say contributed to low reading test scores. Close to three-quarters of the 300,000 residents of Santa Ana are Latino, and many are newcomers to the United States.

Last year’s statewide standardized Stanford 9 reading exam showed that many Santa Ana students scored below the national average. For example, more than 80% of Santa Ana third-graders who took the multiple-choice reading exam scored below the national average. Statewide, more than 60% of third-graders scored below the national average.

“Santa Ana is the [governmental center] in Orange County, and we probably have the most challenged school system in Orange County,” said Art Pedroza Jr., chairman of the Santa Ana Public Library Board and a member of the organizing committee.

The Santa Ana Unified School District is the largest and one of the poorest in Orange County, and its scores are among the lowest.

“Many of our children come from homes that don’t have a lot of printed resources,” said Jane Russo, an organizer and area administrator for the Santa Ana Unified School District. “Some of our students come from homes where parents haven’t completed their education. Others come from homes where parents may not be speaking English.”

Commitment of Time, Money

But Santa Ana City Council member Brett Franklin said the goal of the campaign is not solely to improve standardized test scores. “It’s not just about numbers,” he said.

Jose Solorio, a city planning commissioner in charge of fund-raising for the campaign, said the costs, which could range from $5,000 to $100,000, will be covered by public and private sources. As the campaign progresses, Solorio said, the city might request grants from the state or federal government.

Pulido said measuring the campaign’s effectiveness will take years.

“It takes years and years of implementation to get an impact,” he said. “I think we are making a long-term commitment. We’re going to do everything we can possibly come up with that we think helps.”