Our Story
In 2018, award-winning educator Kareem Weaver took a year-long hiatus to examine a critical question: Why weren’t children in Oakland reading? Kareem’s research and exploration unearthed a jarring realization: Oakland’s schools—along with the majority of systems in the country—were not basing their literacy programs on what research proved effective for the greatest number of students. Methods following idealized approaches gripped the sector. Rather than pushing back, many stakeholders profited by aligning their products with the trends and producing curriculums that were not evidence-based. This discovery led to the beginning of FULCRUM.
The organization’s initial purpose was to support the Oakland NAACP’s ongoing literacy focus through eight demands of the local district. These efforts eventually expanded to dig deeper into both solutions and implementation. Kareem joined forces with former colleague Liza Finkelstein, and informed by their backgrounds as educators, the two identified five areas to address: (1) K–12 systems, (2) educator support, (3) university alignment, (4) community engagement, and (5) supportive ecosystems. FULCRUM worked diligently with stakeholders to shift hearts and minds, providing information, guidance, and hands-on support. These efforts directly contributed to a movement for evidence-based literacy practices.
Kareem quickly became a notable leader in the literacy space, and the demand for his expertise skyrocketed following his appearance in The Right to Read documentary. Today, FULCRUM engages diverse communities from school districts to departments of education and determinedly works across political, racial, class, and ideological lines to ensure that one core belief remains at the heart of every action—all children have the right to read.