Today my oldest daughter turned 9 years old.
When she was in the first grade and starting to make sense of reading, we talked about how books can be so many things: a guide, an escape, an adventure. When she was in second grade, my daughter stomped around the house, upset about a fight with her sister. She grabbed a story, curled up in a chair and said: “See Mommy, I’m making myself feel better.” Reading can also be a comfort - if you know how do it.
All of our kids deserve to learn how to read. Even though research proves that they’re capable of it, nearly half of Oregon students aren’t reading at grade level. This isn’t just a state issue. Millions of kids across the country are struggling too.
Over the past three years, American Public Media reporter Emily Hanford has read thousands of pages of research, interviewed hundreds of teachers, parents and struggling readers and visited nine states. Emily’s article “Hard Words: Why Aren’t Kids Being Taught To Read?” explores what we’ve been doing wrong - and how we can do better. This is the inspiration behind the “Oregon Kids Read” petition.
Thanks for reading!
Angela