Recently on NBC’s Rock Center with Brian Williams, Chelsea Clinton gave a news report on the collaboration between a charter school in Rhode Island and the surrounding public schools. The goal of this venture is to help the public school children in kindergarten through 2nd grade improve their reading skills… and it is working. When this collaboration began three years ago, only 37% of K-2nd graders were reading at or above grade level. Within eight months, that number was up to 66%.
This particular Rhode Island school district is the poorest in the state, and many of the students are Latino children. Their situation, though, is reflected across the country. According to the School Library Journal, our country’s graduating high school seniors in 2011 only had a 31% proficiency rate in reading. Harvard’s Program on Education Policy and Governance has released a study “Globally Challenged: Are U.S. Students Ready to Compete?” that reveals that this proficiency rate really varies depending on the ethnic and racial background of the student. The numbers are even lower for Latinos. Barely 5% of Hispanic students ranked proficient in reading, according to the study.
Literacy is one of the top skills necessary for a student to succeed academically. If you can’t read and write, or understand what you are reading, it affects virtually every subject across the board. Almost every class requires reading. Even in math, you have to be able to read word problems, or at least the directions.
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One of the things that struck me the most about Clinton’s report was that the “innovative” strategies the charter school was sharing with the public school teachers were actually not new techniques. I’ve used them with my own children in teaching them to read. I learned about them through the curriculum I use. And, having been in the field of promoting literacy for a few years now, I know that other parents and teachers know about them, too.
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Good article. A Spanish translation would be great, to reach more parents.
I think if children were enrolled in English language immersion classes starting in preschool, the problem of illiteracy would diminish significantly. Wasn’t Head Start originally an English language immersion program in Texas? I read that somewhere. We seem to have gotten away from teaching this generation of immigrants English in a timely manner. And then people wonder why the literacy rate is low and the dropout rate is high.
These are great tips! I’m going to try to do this with my niece. Thanks, Monica!
And that’s our ultimate goal, no? To get our kids excited about books and reading. Thanks, Carla!
Such wonderful suggestions! And it really is the simple things like what you mention that light a fire in children for books. Thanks for sharing!
Great, practical ideas. I have always loved to read, and read a TON to my son, but have never seen these tips compiled like this. Thank you!
You’re welcome! So glad you read to your son. That is one of the best things a parent can do.
Thanks for the tips! These are great! I always try to squeeze in a couple of bed time stories to my son and he loves it. I haven’t tried the rest of your suggestions yet, but I will!
what a great article! I have nephew and nieces that I don’t see enough so it’s always fun spending reading time with them. They’re usually far more excited to share with tia what they’re reading than I am to actually be the voice! It’s so much fun though.
I had a really hard time learning to read. We moved around a lot when I was in early elementary and I was raised by a single mother with a 6th grade education from Mexico, she couldn’t really help me because she didn’t have the skills. I got lucky, a teacher helped me and I was able to overcome my difficulties. Becoming a skilled and avid reader changed my life.
A great teacher can make the world of difference. I’ve had several that made a lasting impact on me.
And you bring up another good point, because sometimes parents find it difficult to help their kid read if they can’t read themselves (I don’t know how well your mom could read), which is why it is so important to reach out to parents and find out if they themselves need help.
The good thing, though is that several of these techniques can be used by parents who can’t read well themselves.
As a former teacher in Washington Heights (a heavily populated Latino neighborhood in NYC), I believe that parents want their children to do well academically but, as you said, they don’t know how to help. Also, many parents in Latino neighborhoods that are undeserving work many hours therefore their kids have no parent supervision. They are dependent on themselves to finish their homework and understand material. Lastly, language is a big issue. My mom has lived in this country for over 36 years and still does not speak English. I had to figure homework out on my own just because of the language barrier.
Sujeiry,
You’re right that parents who must work long hours can’t always be there to help their children. Which is why we also need to reach out to extended family and other caregivers. And one of the things I like about some of the techniques listed is that they can be done in any language – like asking your child to retell the story in their own words, or to sketch it. Thank you for commenting. I love to hear what teachers think about these things!
Great post Monica. Will def share this!
Thanks, Rachel!
Monica thanks for the tips. I know growing up my parents did anything they could to help me and now with my little men we read to them every night and want them to reach for the stars.
It sounds like you had great parents! And now you are one yourself. Keep reading and encouraging them.