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Is Raising A Reader MA a Solution to the Occupy Wall Street Movement?

Is Raising A Reader MA a Solution to the Occupy Wall Street Movement?

Raising A Reader MA offers a solution to the current Occupy Wall Street movement, so says New York Times Op-Ed columnist Nicholas Kristof in his October 19, 2011 piece Occupy the Classroom. “..although part of the problem is billionaires being taxed at lower rates than those with more modest incomes, a bigger source of structural inequity is that many young people never get the skills to compete. They’re just left behind.”

And how does this contribute to economic inequities? In a conversation with Kathleen McCartney, the Dean of Harvard Graduate School of Education, Kristof learns what Raising A Reader MA has long known: even before kindergarten there are significant performance gaps between rich and poor which widen throughout a child’s education. Says Dean McCarthy, “This is where inequality starts, the reason early education is important is that you build a foundation for school success. And success breeds success.” Kristof learns from Nobel Prize-winning Economist, James Heckman that the foundation laid in early education is critically important because “Schooling after the second grade plays only a minor role in creating or reducing gaps.” This sentiment echoes the 1985 report of the national Commission on Reading which noted, “the single most significant factor influencing a child’s early educational success is an introduction to books and being read to at home prior to beginning school.” Yet for the majority of low-income families, early reading is not happening. Data tells us:

  • Children who have not already developed some basic literacy practices when they enter school are three to four times more likely to drop out in years later. National Adult Literacy Survey, 1993.
  • It is estimated that more than $2 billion is spent each year on students who repeat a grade because they have reading problems. US Department of Health and Human Services
  • 43% of Massachusetts third graders read below grade level; this number jumps to 67% among children from low-income families and 77% for special needs children. 2009 Grade 4 MCAS Reading Results. Turning the Page: Refocusing Massachusetts for Reading Success  Nonie Lesaux, PhD.
  • A child’s brain develops more in the early years of their life than at any other point of their life. Reading with young children is the strongest and most dependable way to ensure they have a successful future.

Kristof doesn’t know it, but building this foundation for success in school is precisely what Raising A Reader MA does in our work with families to develop and sustain regular habits of home book sharing using Dialogic Reading strategies.

Home book sharing may sound nice, but does it really make a difference? According to the Early Childhood Longitudinal Study it does. This study found that of the children who were read to at least three time a week as they entered kindergarten:

  • 76% had mastered the letter-sound relationship at the beginning of words, compared to 64% of children who were read to fewer than 3 times a week
  • 57% had mastered the letter-sound relationship at the end of words, compared to 43%
  • 15% had sight-word recognition skills, compared to 8%.

The result? Children who are read to three or more times are week are two times more likely to score in the top 25% for reading achievement than their peers who don’t have a robust routine of home book sharing at home. When young children experience Raising A Reader MA through their preschool, day care center, or home visiting program, they are better prepared to succeed in school. And remember,”success breeds success.”

Is Raising A Reader MA part of the solution to the Occupy Wall Street movement? We say “YES” because we are helping families break the cycle of low literacy that prevents children living in poverty from maximizing their education so they can, if they want to, break into the ranks of the 1%.

Reflect or Take Action to Occupy the Classroom

  • Do you believe early education is one of the long term solutions to economic inequities in Massachusetts and the U.S.? Why or why not? Visit our Facebook page to share your opinions.
  • How has reading and a good education helped you expand your economic or other horizons? Visit our Facebook page to share your stories.
  • Want to invest time or money in early education as one of the solutions to Occupy Wall Street? Visit our website to make a donation of money or call your nearest public elementary school or Head Start program to learn about volunteering time to read with children and families.