US: Reid Lyon - Today Foundation White Paper 2009

[Debbie_Hepplewhite]

http://www.reidlyon.com/media/Today_Fou ... r_2009.pdf

The Today Foundation is committed to the goal of reading proficiency for all our children regardless of their economic background. The Foundation is a champion of unique and effective technologies proven to help children learn to read thus expanding their opportunities to participate in the American Dream.

Education Reform Series ~ April 2009 White Paper

The Agony of Reading Failure

We All Suffer

Our children are our nation’s most important resource. They represent the legacy of our efforts in providing a safe and nurturing world; they also embody our hopes and dreams for the future. Yet, it has become abundantly clear that millions of children have entered preschool and kindergarten without the language and literacy skills needed to succeed in school and in life.

The majority of the youngsters have something in common – they are poor. And, despite over 40 years of expensive Federal programs to bolster pre-reading and language abilities of poor children during the preschool years, the literacy gap between children of advantage and children of disadvantage has not changed.

Unfortunately, the gap widens and accelerates with each passing grade. Eighty eight percent of youngsters who read poorly at the end of the first grade, read poorly at the end of the fourth grade as well.

Students who have not caught up by nine years of age carry their limited reading skills into adulthood. For those students who have not learned to read by the ninth grade, these children typically drop out of school at significantly higher rates than their classmates who read proficiently3. Reading failure is invasive and cumulative. Without proficient reading skills, many of these kids are doomed to lifelong hardship with little potential for occupational, economic and social advancement. They are more likely to become a teen parent, end up in prison and suffer from persistent health problems4. Without aggressive and innovative approaches to prevent reading failure, a bleak future awaits many of these children. This is an American tragedy.