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It is about the often-forgotten children of our communities. These children were born without a vote as to where they lived or what their economic condition might be. They were also unable to choose what sort of support structure they might have.
Here are a few statistics to consider. Ask yourself, “What is going on here?” (Note: All the statistics in this book are from before the COVID pandemic when schools were closed. It will be years before we know how much worse all of these numbers actually are today.)
1.3 million fourth-graders in the US each year read below basic levels.
-National Center for Education Statistics (NCES)
Three-fourths of children who enter fourth grade behind in reading never catch up.
-CrossCurrents, Issue 5. Publication #2007-27
High school graduation can be reasonably predicted by knowing someone's reading skills at the end of third grade.
-National Research Council
Children who do not read to grade level by third grade are 4 TIMES MORE LIKELY to drop out.
-The Annie E. Casey Foundation
What did you notice? Do you see the golden window of opportunity?
The American education system puts a ticking clock on every child, and when that child’s alarm goes off, for most of them, there is no second chance.
It is as simple as it is tragic. It is a phrase repeated over and over again in the literacy world:
From first grade through third grade, children LEARN to READ…
From fourth grade on, children READ to LEARN.
After the alarm goes off, there are NO MORE RESOURCES for learning to read.
- In the world we live in today, reading is an essential survival skill. There is almost no way to navigate life, find purpose, and positively contribute to society without the ability to read.
- If children, especially children from under-resourced backgrounds, don’t learn to read by third grade, statistically, they NEVER will.
- Currently, we are sentencing 1.3 million fourth graders to a life they don’t deserve. There are simply not enough healthy adults with the compassion to help close this gap.
Who will go? Who will give those children a chance before their golden window closes?
