Monfredo: Reading: The Recipe for Future Success

Saturday, April 11, 2015

John Monfredo, GoLocalWorcester MINDSETTER™

As an educator I have been very passionate about the importance of reading in the early grades. As a former principal I know firsthand how important it is for a child to become a reader. In our schools today a child who is not reading at grade level by the end of third grade is in danger of never catching up and may spend years being a frustrated learner. Please keep in mind that falling behind in reading and feeling like a failure can take a large toll on children. They can lose all desire to learn to read and some begin to act out in class or set low expectations for themselves

We need to remember that reading on grade level by the end of grade three is important for it is where students make the transition from learning to read to reading to learn. Thus, it is essential that we put the needed resources into improving our children’s ability to read proficiently by the end of grade three. This is the achievement gap we hear so much about.

There are many factors that interfere with the child’s ability to become a reader by the end of grade three. School readiness… many children from low-income families don’t enroll in a pre-school program or have parents to read to them and develop their vocabulary. According to research the language gap in words heard by low-income children compared to higher income is around 30 million words. Yes, 30 million words!

We need to start with families of preschool children and have a community-wide campaign, as we are doing in Worcester this year through the Worcester Education Collaborative to remind parents or guardians to read to their child for 20 minutes a day… seven days a week. Let’s do all that we can to put books into the hands of our children and parents for they need the resources of books. Through Worcester: the City that Reads, (started by my wife and me) we have attempted to do just that for the past nine years with our annual book drive.

How about a “reading guarantee” program through the schools that awards parents and children a certificate at the end of grade three for reading at or above grade level. Again, in order to achieve this we would have to place additional resources in our K-3 programs.

Another program that needs to take place is summer literacy for so many children in the early grades who are not reading well will need summer assistance. The summer slide is a well documented research piece that supports summer learning. Many inner-city children lose between two to three months of academic growth in the summer time because of lack of learning opportunities. Why can’t we have programs for our children in the early grades … kindergarten through grade three?

Another piece of research that I have been conducting is the effect of chronic absenteeism in our schools… if a child is absent eighteen times or more he/she is on the chronic absenteeism data base. Unfortunately, we have many children of poverty who are absent in the kindergarten and grade one often. These students can ill afford to miss school for this is where the readiness skills are taught! A community effort is need to resolve this all important issue.

Keep in mind that learning begins in the home. A home that encourages and fosters learning is one that lays the foundation for a child’s success in school, in the workplace and in life. Believing that parents are the child’s first and most influential teacher here are ten ideas of parents to do at home.

Read to your child or have your child read to you for at least 20 minutes a day…every time you read to a child you are making a difference in their life…
Don’t leave reading to the schools. Children who read outside of school are far more likely t succeed than those who don’t. Need books visit the library or call me at 508 853-3444 and I’ll get you books for the home…
Ask your child to picture what is happening while you read. Ask what sounds and smells might be in the story…
When you finish reading a story, ask your child to make up a new ending to the story…
Be animated when you read for you want to make the story exciting…
Don’t be afraid to read the book over and over for children love repetition and learn from it.
Make reading time special for it’s a great time to bond so cuddle up with the little one…
Take books wherever you go…in the car, on the bus, to the doctor, to the store…
Don’t let your children watch TV unless they have read something that day … you had to know that suggestion was coming…
Best bargain in the city… the Worcester Public Library so make sure your children have a library card and teach your children to be at home in the public library.

In summary, reading well is at the heart of all learning. Children who can’t read well, can’t learn. Let’s all help to make a difference for a child in this community.