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There are proven methods to boost students’ reading skills in the early grades. Here is a snapshot of core community strategies to boost early grade reading and the implementation approaches experts say will have the biggest impact on the most people.
Strategy 1: Strengthen Schools to Ensure Students are Engaged in Learning
- Assure the availability of research-based reading curricula and provide professional development for teachers and principals in the area of reading.
Strategy 2: Provide Support to Students Struggling with Reading in Kindergarten Through Third Grades
- Work collaboratively with schools to develop and use an early warning and intervention system that assesses the reading levels of all early elementary students frequently and identifies chronically absent students and students struggling with reading.
- Create infrastructure within the community to attract, screen, train, retain and increase the number of high-quality volunteer tutors using evidence-based practices to support struggling readers in concert with classroom teachers, school curricula and school leadership including in and out of the classroom.
- Improve the availability, accessibility and quality of reading programs offered outside the classroom and in the summer to include strong research-based language and literacy components that are aligned with school curricula.
Strategy 3: Empower Families to Help Their Children Read and Learn
- Collaborate with schools to provide opportunities that help families access information about school requirements and information about their child (e.g., attendance, behavior and daily homework assignments).
- In partnership with schools and the medical community, develop a system that includes literacy as part of the developmental assessment of young children during their visit with the doctor.
These should not be viewed as “plug and play” options, but as a starting point for internal and external discussion, research and collaboration. http://www.unitedway.org/chartingacourse
