Apr 14, 2025
Led by a map marked with reading quests through Raymond James Stadium in Tampa, over 1,800 children and adults embarked on a free, pirate-themed literacy adventure at New Worlds Reading’s 2025 Book Bash. On Saturday, April 5, Tampa families engaged with interactive...
Feb 20, 2025
Juno Beach, FL – On January 31, in honor of Celebrate Literacy Week, The UF Lastinger Center for Learning is honoring Florida Power and Light (FPL) at their Juno Beach headquarters as the inaugural New Worlds Reading Literacy Champion for FPL’s support of literacy and...
Jun 16, 2023
On June 15, the Florida Governor signed the state’s $116.5 billion budget, including some big investments in education. Among these are renewed commitments from the legislature to fund the Lastinger Center for Learning’s initiatives that serve educators, students, and...
Apr 21, 2023
The bookworm is on the verge of becoming an endangered species in America. More than 60% of students in our nation’s K-12 schools can’t proficiently read at their grade levels, and pandemic-related remote learning and a teacher shortage in the past few years...
Mar 21, 2023
The New Worlds Reading Initiative is encouraging families to embrace the power of reading this National Reading Month and beyond—and more than 500,000 FL K-5 students are eligible to receive free books! Parents and guardians can apply for their child to participate in...
Jan 10, 2023
While Florida saw no significant changes in reading scores according to the 2022 NAEP scores¹, it still has a Grade 3 passing rate of 53% for the Florida Standards Assessment². This is a critical milestone for students. The chances of students falling behind are...
