The Moonshot Story: Indian River County’s Literacy Turnaround Film

What does it take to move an entire community toward an ambitious literacy goal?This 22-minute mini-documentary from the Moonshot Series tells the bigger story of Indian River County, Florida, where a public-private partnership is transforming early literacy outcomes for thousands of children. Produced by the Children’s Literacy Project, the film documents the community-wide journey to reach the Moonshot Goal: 90% of students reading on grade level by the end of third grade.At the center is a groundbreaking collaboration between The School District of Indian River County, The Learning Alliance, and committed community partners who aligned around one priority: early literacy. Through real on-the-ground storytelling, the film reveals the layers that make this turnaround possible, including leadership, instructional improvement, data-driven practices, community mobilization, and the systems that help schools and adults learn fast.At its heart, this story is about what becomes possible when leaders refuse to negotiate on what children deserve, and when an entire district commits to doing what is “best by kids.”Following the screening, join an in-person fireside chat with Lucy Martin (Executive Producer, Children’s Literacy Project), Barbara Hammond (CEO, The Learning Alliance), and Dr. David Moore (Superintendent, School District of Indian River County) to unpack what worked, what it took to align a community, and what other districts can learn from this emerging national model of results and hope.