As schools reopen, reading education must be priority
For months, many children across our great country have been shut out of their schools. Due to COVID-19 closures, they have been missing direct, ongoing access to their teachers. At a time when they should be learning to read and to become proficient readers, students have been left without essential help, vital practice and much needed encouragement and accountability.
Communities in which families are financially unable to provide adequate books, technology, tutoring and other educational arrangements for their children have been especially affected. Through no fault of their own, our nation’s at-risk students, without support at home, are now at even greater risk of falling behind in their reading and other foundational skills.
The past year has been difficult for our country on many levels, from health to jobs to education. The pandemic has taken lives and resulted in reduced or limited jobs and educational opportunities.
Still, despite the heartbreaking losses we face together, we have an opportunity to prevent another great loss: the loss of reading proficiency among our children.
More than ever, assuring that Americans of all backgrounds can read — and read proficiently — merits the immediate attention of parents, educators, nonprofits and lawmakers who plan and allocate school resources. Our world is becoming more connected and moves at an ever-increasing pace. Undeniably, literacy is a strong determinant of individual and societal success, no matter what life brings.
We can hope that students suddenly learning at home have spent sufficient time working on reading and reading comprehension. We can also wonder whether digital and online learning have been effective tools for our students to practice reading. Most of all, we can focus on determining whether students across our country are moving ahead or falling behind in this foundational skill. Gaps in reading proficiency may be directly connected to a lack of positive parental involvement, especially when teacher interaction is unavailable to fill the void. The pandemic magnified this reality, because school closures do not affect all communities similarly. For all stakeholders, it is important to identify gaps early and to address them.
The Annie E. Casey Foundation, a nonprofit whose goal is success for America’s children, found that students who are not proficient readers by the end of third grade are four times more likely to not graduate from high school than their peers.
Shining light on one set of gaps, the foundation reported that this percentage doubles for Black and Hispanic students of limited means. ExcelinEd, another nonprofit and one that advocates for early literacy screenings and individual student literacy plans, issued the exhortation that “reading is the gateway to learning. If our children can’t read, they don’t stand a chance for a successful future.”
Long after the pandemic has passed, the level of reading proficiency will continue to open doors for some and shut them for others. It will make life easier for some and more difficult for others. Reading is a foundation laid early, and there is no substitute.
Sometimes a reminder is helpful. Maybe we need to be reminded today that reading with proficiency encourages imagination and innovation. It creates dreams, independence, and self-sufficiency. It eliminates unnecessary obstacles and instills confidence. For a lifetime, it connects individuals with the information they want and need. It fosters adaptability and reduces uncertainty. It encourages civic participation and public discourse. It allows for discussion and informed debate. Reading proficiently is a gift that can be easily taken for granted.
Pandemic or no pandemic, it’s time to review levels of literacy and reading proficiency in America. Not only can families and loved ones actively encourage reading with the children in our lives, teachers can find creative ways for students to practice reading and comprehension.
Nonprofits and policymakers should work to measure reading proficiency and direct resources with a focus on vulnerable populations. Children have been through a lot with school closures. It is incumbent on us to see that they catch up, and that in reading, they do not fail, but rather greatly succeed.