Inspire a Student and Read to Them

Reading to kids make a difference

Programme for International Student Assessment research and Scholastic’s report ‘Classroom Libraries Work!’ showed that students whose parents or adults that often read books with them during their first years of primary school show markedly higher scores than students whose parents and adults infrequently read to them or not at all.  McGill-Franzen and Allington studies confirm that children, who are living in poverty, have a greater loss of learning over the summer time than do children from affluent families.   Students living in poverty, who did have gains over the summer, had smaller gains than their peers whose families had higher incomes. This is all too real for Citrus County Schools where 65% of students in Citrus County are Title 1 (economically disadvantaged on free or reduced lunch).  Citrus County Schools Research and Accountability department’s own research clearly demonstrates that a student’s 3^rd grade reading score are one of the best indicators of future success in middle and high school and that the more proficient a 3^rd grade reader is the more successful they will be in middle and high school.

The United Way of Citrus County has taken on as one of its educational missions to make an impacting change by providing “Read-Ins” at elementary schools in Citrus County schools.  This past week I had another great experience and personal reward reading to the students as part of the United Way’s “Read-In”.  As a student myself who struggled with reading I can tell you reading to a child makes a powerful impact on their learning and models that reading is “power”.  For some these volunteer readers are the only readers outside of their teachers and school staff that have ever read to them.  I encourage you next time the United Way is scheduling a “Read-In” to make the time and volunteer to be a reader.  You will be contributing to positively changing a student’s future and our community’s.

Thank you United Way of Citrus County and Amy Meek and for putting these events together.

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