Few things unlock the doors of imagination and pave the road to academic achievement like the power of reading.Statistics show that students who are fluent readers tend to excel at other subjects as well. Meanwhile, students who struggle with reading seem to have similar struggles in other subjects.It’s for this reason, The Children’s Reading Foundation of the Upper Cumberland has organized and is meeting with the singular purpose of getting students to read on grade level by third grade.The foundation is represented by members of 19 school districts who serve an estimated 60,000 students. It exists in partnership with the Tennessee Department of Education.The Children’s Reading Foundation of the Upper Cumberland’s goal is for 90 percent of third-graders in the region to be reading at or above grade level by 2021.During the foundation’s annual meeting held recently in Fentress County, speakers celebrated the vision “to ensure children learn to read early and well, thereby reaching their full potential in school and life.”The foundation’s mission is threefold: 1) to encourage and educate families about their important role in raising a reader and preparing their children for kindergarten; 2) to support schools in ensuring students read on grade level by the end of third grade; and 3) to facilitate community involvement in helping young readers be successful.Through this laser-focused mission, READ 20 signs are spreading the message all across the region in newspapers, marquees, billboards, yard signs, on central office doors, and it’s literally rolling through our region on school buses.