|
One of the most critical problems facing our country today is functional illiteracy. Our standard of living and our country's ability to compete in a global economy are jeopardized when too many citizens are unable to read well or at all. Poor readers are quickly marginalized in our ever more competitive society - a problem that particularly plagues the District of Columbia.
According to a Washington Post article of March 19, 2007, "The State of Adult Literacy Report found that nearly 36 percent, or 170,000, of the District's residents are functionally illiterate, compared with 21 percent nationally."
The problem, of course, begins in schools and homes. For example:
· Among 4th graders eligible for free or reduced lunches, 71% in Washington, DC read below the basic level according to 2007 National Assessment of Educational Progress (NAEP)
· In the 2007 “Nations Report Card” only 14 percent of fourth-graders and 12 percent of eighth-graders were proficient or better in reading in Washington, DC. · In 2007 “Nations Report Card” the national (average) reading score for 4th graders was 220 whereas the average for DC 4th graders was only 197. In the United States, the typical middle-class child enters first grade with 1,000 to 1,700 hours of picture book reading time. However, a low-income child, like most of those in DC schools, averages just 25 hours.
The EW!DC program, now in its 16th year, is designed to help change all of this. The love of reading and the growth of self-esteem that results from the one-on-one relationship of a caring mentor and an eager child is the essence of our unique approach to the problem of illiteracy in our community.
|
