Sonia Villalobos is helping second graders who have struggled with reading, improve, and better understand how the English language works. “We need to add a capital letter in the first letter of the name,” said one student in the class.  It’s one of the hardest jobs in Fort Worth ISD where students are passing to the next grade level and still struggling with reading comprehension.   With little ones reading the words, the school board pledged to partner with the city, and community and work together to change it, making literacy a priority number one. The problem is they did this before, back in 2016.  Former Mayor Betsy Price and Former Superintendent Kent Scribner made the exact same pledge.  Going as far as saying 100% of third graders would be reading at grade level by 2025. We asked Interim Superintendent Karen Molinar how we wind up in the same spot nearly nine years later.  “We’re starting internally this time, we’re coming out of the gate with a very detailed plan that’ll roll our pre-K through 12,” said Molinar.  The plan includes funding to improve staffing and boost parent and community involvement—similar promises made by the district and some board members in 2016. However, this time, the district is doubling down on achieving success. “This is a whole new ball game with what we’re doing, but the call has been loud for many years. We just haven’t done a good job of answering it,” said Wallace Bridges, a board member. “The one thing I’ve been hearing the community scream out loud, why can’t we teach our kids how to read? “ The plan calls for minor improvement goals in year one but talk to teacher teachers in the classroom, and they say the improvement is already underway.  “I’m so happy to say that 82% of my students met their goal for the middle of the year,” said Villalobos. “I’ve heard from other colleagues they’ve have seen a difference, our students are writing even more than they’re used to” They credit Amplify, the district’s relatively new reading curriculum. Molinar told us it was put in place more than two years ago and she pledges not to touch it as Fort Worth ISD continues its efforts to chase a very simple goal, getting our kids to read like they should.