Every Student a Great Reader
Reading is essential to success in school, work, and life. To become great readers, our children need to enter school ready to learn. Pre-kindergarten exposure to literacy provided through activities such as reading aloud to a child, making reading and writing materials available, and modeling interest in reading creates a stronger foundation for later success in school.
Our schools expect that by the end of third grade students will have completed the process of learning to read and will begin reading to learn. Children who struggle with reading in the early grades are at greater risk of falling behind and staying behind throughout the rest of their school years.
Reading Must Be "Job One" in Our Schools
Strengthening the link between school and early learning providers—preschools,
daycare centers, and families—is an important first step. Supporting effective
teaching strategies and curriculum choices is the other. Making sure that every
student is a great reader requires new diverse classroom strategies, compelling
reading materials, and parent and community support.
The Alliance's Great Readers program strategy focuses on:
- Providing support for literacy training for teachers.
- Expanding early literacy partnerships between schools and early learning
providers.
- Supporting strategies to help struggling readers in our highly challenged
schools.
- Encouraging families and the wider community to support literacy-related
activities.
- Providing supplemental books and materials for K-12 students.
Highlights
- The single most important activity for building eventual success in reading is
reading aloud to children—especially during the preschool years.
- Children who struggle with reading in the early grades are at risk of falling
behind and staying behind throughout their academic careers.
- Forty-nine percent (49%) of those incarcerated in our state read at or below a
ninth grade level.
More Facts and Resources >>
For More Information
Contact Suzanne Erickson, Alliance for Education, Senior Partnership Manager,
Literacy at (206) 205-0329 or e-mail
suzanne@alliance4ed.org