Dear Community Member,
Our Nation's Report Card revealed some shocking results regarding math and reading proficiency among our youth last week. Students have been greatly affected by the pandemic, but this report reveals just how much.
According to the report, across the US, only about one in three students met reading proficiency standards. Drops in reading proficiency were even more pronounced among the most vulnerable students.
In a recent interview, Former Education Secretary Bill Bennett commented, "It's an emergency for our kids, it's an emergency for our country. It has to do with our competitiveness and our standing in the world. But, it also has to do with the child's ability to function and to work in the world. If you cannot read confidently by the third grade, your life chances are dramatically diminished." Watch the interview here.
In Georgia, only 32% of fourth graders are proficient readers. We know that from kindergarten to third grade, a child learns to read. When the child enters grade four, the child reads to learn. Children who can't read proficiently by third grade are 4 times more likely to drop out of high school. As part of our efforts to disrupt the cycle of family poverty in Central Georgia, increasing reading proficiency plays a key role.
By combining grade-level reading support for students with a structured tutoring model built on volunteerism, Read United tackles grade-level reading proficiency head on.
Over 4,000 K-3 students in Central Georgia have been supported by Read United since 2015.This past year, 72% of 2nd and 3rd graders participating in Read United increased their reading scores by 50% or more. Progress is being made!
If you'd like to volunteer in a way that will absolutely change a child's life, I urge you to become a volunteer in our Read United program.
