Post-Pandemic Reading Skills
“Pandemic Has Pulled Reading Skills Down Into ‘New Territory.’” We saw this coming — and this NYT article explains that the US was seeing lower literacy levels even before 2020 — but this just makes me so very sad. There’s a lot at play here: missed school (both remote and in-person), teaching vacancies, fewer educators trained in phonics and phonetic awareness. According to this article, in some Boston-area high-poverty schools, 60% of readers are identified as “at high risk for reading problems.” And later: “Poor readers are more likely to drop out of high school, earn less money as adults and become involved in the criminal justice system.”
This — to use a really old-timey phrase — really burdens my heart. Being able to read is both a necessity and a gift. The online version of this article has over 700 comments, many (of the ones I read) politicized in some fashion…on all sides. I hope every commenter might take the time to learn how they could help a local school or after-school program. Or support efforts at training and supporting teachers. I’m thinking hard about how in my own small way, I might help.
My “early reading” years were in the 1980s — anyone else remember those RIF PSAs and think about what the “F” stands for? Reading. Is. FUNDAMENTAL.
originally published on instagram