Humans are hard-wired for language; we are not hard-wired to read. Although a great joy to many, reading is incredibly difficult for some.
By 3rd grade, children should know how to read. In the early grades, there are specific skills taught, and specific measurements in place to evaluate a child’s ability to read. Reading interventions at this stage of a child’s academic development are also defined and measurable.
From 3rd grade on, it is often said, “Children are not learning to read, but they are reading to learn.“ This is a misleading aphorism. As children move through the developmental stages of reading, the material they encounter typically gets more complex. Demands on their skills increase. So, for children who are still perfecting their decoding, the task of reading can become more challenging.
Additionally, motivation and engagement with reading material plays a significant role in how much children choose to read.
School testing is critical in the 3rd grade because children who are not able to pass a state reading test are required to be retained and repeat the 3rd grade. Other difficulties in reading can cause academic problems that can lead to social and behavioral challenges. In turn, schools may become less relevant for these young people and the results of these setbacks can be children who mentally “check out” of school and lose academic motivation.
To tackle the many challenges and complexities around reading, we established a partnership with the University of South Florida. We believe it is critical to partner with a university so we can develop creative, academically sound and measurable programs to increase the reading skills of our struggling readers. We also believe that working with a university assures a constant pool of bright, young academics who continually bring innovative thinking to help tackle societal problems.
“Once you learn to read, you will be forever free”
— Frederick Douglas
