Reading to Save...Money and Lives

There are staggering statistics related poverty and illiteracy. "85 percent of all juveniles who interface with the juvenile court system are functionally illiterate." Unfortunately illiteracy does not just affect juveniles. The way prisions know how many cells to have in the near future is to look at the reading levels of 4th graders. "Two-thirds of students who cannot read proficiently by the end of the 4th grade will end up in jail or on welfare." Two- thirds! That does not give much hope for those students who makes it past the 4th grade still not reading proficiently. But, we most not give up hope. It is never too late to learn to read. The process may be slow and challenging but the reward is great. Working with high school students who are at high risk of dropping out, a lack of reading skills is common. In fact, during my first year working at Church Hill Academy, an alternative school in the East End of Richmond committed to training and equipping students with the skills necessary for becoming responsible, virtuous, and articulate men and women, 7 out of my 9 students were not reading at grade level and two of them were reading at pre-primer level (Pre-K). They were 15 and 17 years old and could not read Dr. Seuss. Reading is one of the major requirements to being a successful student and citizen. There are success stories though. One of our Academy students, age 15, has improved his reading level by one grade over this past school year and numerous levels in spelling! The Academy’s reading specialist recently tested this student to see his progress. He has shown measurable progress in both areas, specifically in spelling and reading fluency and comprehension. Another student has been with the Academy for three years and increased her reading level by 4 grades. She is 19 years old and will be 20 years old when she graduates high school. According to the Washington Literacy Council, “more than three out of four of those on welfare, 85% of unwed mothers and 68% of those arrested are illiterate. About three in five of America's prison inmates are illiterate.” Literacy not only opens the mind to foreign worlds and beautiful poetry, but it can free the individual to live a life free of poverty and incarceration. It is the greatest gift. And, it is not only a gift to the person learning to read but their families and us as taxpayers. "Penal institution records show that inmates have a 16% chance of returning to prison if they receive literacy help, as opposed to 70% who receive no help. This equates to taxpayer costs of $25,000 per year per inmate and nearly double that amount for juvenile offenders." Teaching others to read or supporting that cause will literally save lives from returning to prision and save your taxpayer dollars. Support literacy effort however you can in your area.