Read This — US Literacy Gap Needs Closing via The Hill

Read this — US literacy gap needs closing

The Hill: 4.03.2018 by Norma Nelson, Executive Director of Readers 2 Leaders

The Oklahoma teacher strike reminds us that our nation does not adequately fund public education. Oklahoma teachers have not had a raise in 10 years. Starting pay for a teacher with a bachelor’s degree in the state is $31,600.

The lack of adequate funding in education is not simply an Oklahoma problem — it is a national crisis with deep moral implications. Children across the U.S., particularly those of color, bear the burden of our broken education system. 

In 1954, the United States Supreme Court ruled unanimously in Brown v. Board of Education that school segregation was unconstitutional, and with that decision came the hope that integration would give young people of color access to an equitable education. The recent passing of Linda Brown, the young black girl then at the center of the case, begs the question. Has the promise of integration and equitable education been fulfilled?

School segregation still exists, as a 2016 report from the U.S. Government Accountability Office recently shows. Between 2000 and 2014, the percentage of K-12 public schools that had high numbers of poor black or Hispanic students increased from 9 to 16 percent.

Since the 2000-2001 school year, students eligible for free and reduced lunch also increased by 142 percent. Black and Hispanic students have poverty rates two to three times higher than white students.

Low teacher pay, segregated schools and equity gaps that continue to fall squarely along racial and income lines 64 years after Brown v. Board of Education are keeping whole generations of children in our country from reaching their full potential.

Early literacy is one area where lack of progress is particularly alarming. A student’s ability to read on grade level by the end of 4th grade is a key indicator of future success in school and in life.

Investment in early literacy is critical. Students who do not read proficiently by the end of 3rd grade are four times more likely to drop out of high school, and low literacy in pre-teen girls is a strong predictor of teenage pregnancy.

The Annie E. Casey Foundation found that investments made in the first four to six years of school (including pre-K) produced a long-term return to society of $8.24 for every $1 invested.

It is time to recognize that all children, regardless of income or race,deserve the basic human right of early literacy.

It is critical to align policy, funding and community efforts to make this happen. Early literacy is not just a “nice to have,” it is vital. Our children deserve the chance to succeed.  READ MORE >>