Growing up, I usually did a pretty good job with reading and writing in school. For the most part, English was my strongest subject. Although I was talented in writing to other students that can be their weakness. Some students might perform better in other subjects. And others may just struggle with school in general. So what can we do to improve literacy among U.S. students?
Well, a school in Pennsylvania may have the answer to that. According to a recent article from WFMZ-TV, the Parkland, Pennsylvania School Board recently hosted a presentation, where the district’s curriculum director proposed a plan which she says will have all students reading and writing proficiently by the end of third grade.
Curriculum Director Kelly Rosario says she wants to start teaching these literacy skills younger, to give the children a head start. And she brought up some troubling statistics about children who struggle with literacy. According to Kelly Rosario, “66 percent of students not reaching expected proficiency levels by the end of the fourth grade would end up in jail or on welfare.”
And a lot of Rosario’s potential solutions are very promising. I could see how they could potentially be helpful if implemented to schools across the country. She wants schools to be teaching reading before first grade. And I don’t see anything wrong with this. I think the earlier they start, the better off they’ll be.
Her plan also includes getting parents to help teach their children with literacy by doing things like reading to them. Now, this could possibly become an issue because not all parents are going to have the time to do this. But if it can help a lot of kids out, I think it could still be worth trying. Sometimes the teaching that children get in the classroom just might not be enough. At the end of the day, I think a lot of people would agree that the American education system is not perfect. And these kinds of programs could be a step in the right direction.
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