Maria Graham, M.A.Ed.’s Post

LITERACY = PREVENTION for issues we spend billions trying to fix. Has society given up on teaching children to read? We've heard the same message from funders with K-12 education in their mission: We have shifted away from literacy, and now we focus on (insert traumatic by-product of low literacy here) ending the school-to-prison pipeline, keeping kids in high school, drug and alcohol prevention, Kindergarten readiness, mental health, restorative practices, physical fitness, financial planning, art, and my favorite – STEM education (with 10,000+ more vocabulary words than other fields). We are in a flat-earth situation with reading. Few people have heard about—much less seen—what Structured Literacy can do for struggling students, and every child, because there are so few practitioners, and they aren't in public schools. We have little experience improving reading, so we have grown to believe we cannot. If we never fund the alternative, to see what is possible, we certainly never will. Here is a timely reminder of the cascade low literacy creates, from our colleague Kareen Weaver: https://lnkd.in/gBrgppSy

It’s National Literacy Month so there is no better time than now to share the incredible literacy results we just received! In 2023-24 Girls Inc. of Alameda County’s literacy programming served nearly 800 students and ran daily in nine Title 1 schools in Oakland. Our independently evaluated results from last school year indicated that: Students in Girls Inc. of Alameda County’s literacy programs were *nearly 3x as likely* to read at grade level as their peers not in our program, *6x as likely* if they were English learners! I am so inspired by these results, so proud of the way our support for Oakland’s students translates into a measurable increase in their fundamental skills, and so aware that there are real children and families behind these stats who are positively impacted. This achievement is a testament to power of community - our talented staff who draw from the community and engage with our literacy training, our volunteers, program participants and their families, community partners, and funders - and our collective understanding that the ability to read is a fundamental right and a critical foundation to future successes. Obviously there is much more work to do to address the literacy challenges that disproportionately affect the most vulnerable children, and afterschool is just one piece of the complex literacy puzzle with approaches from different angles. I am proud that Girls Inc. of Alameda County is one of the stakeholders working to address the literacy challenges in our community. Our approach for the last thirty years has been to leverage the afterschool space with daily literacy supports in addition to the enrichment, social emotional learning, fun and connections you expect in the afterschool setting. These results show it is within our reach with the right investments to turn the page on low literacy scores. We’re celebrating National Literacy Month, yes, and we’re also celebrating the collective focus that makes transformational results like these possible. #NationalLiteracyMonth #EducationMatters #CommunityImpact #LiteracyForAll #YouthDevelopment #Literacy

Together with Read On Arizona, Read Better Be Better, and #MFinalFour Read to the Final Four, we are actively working to improve early literacy so that all children can be successful. #WeBelieveHelios #NationalReadingMonth

Check out my new blog post! #ece #literacy

Teachers alone can’t address the literacy crisis Improving literacy instruction is once again in fashion among America’s policy circles. Between 2019 and 2022, state legislatures passed more than 200 bills that sought to push and pull public schools to embrace the “science of reading.” But one year into closely following a big city school district’s effort to remake literacy instruction as part of a project with the Center on Reinventing Public Education, I can’t help but think these well-intended legislative efforts ignore the larger problem: teachers working alone in their classrooms are ill-positioned on their own to provide the support children most need to learn to read. Early literacy tutors could meaningfully help shoulder the load of reading instruction in large part because they were fully integrated into the district’s larger strategy around literacy. Unlike other tutoring programs that largely operate on the periphery of schools, Oakland’s early literacy tutors worked hand-in-hand with school staff charged with supporting literacy instruction. Expecting teachers, working alone in their classrooms, to provide both all the individualized support students most need was probably always a fool’s errand; continuing to embrace it as students struggle and deal with the lifelong consequences of illiteracy is simply irresponsible. As schools look to make up ground lost during the pandemic, those that support them should understand the limitations that come with investing too little into the effort.

One of the greatest joys for a mother is being able to read to their child. Can you imagine not being able to read, and as a result being robbed of that joy? Not only do the parent and the child miss out on this wonderful bonding time, but the child is negatively impacted for the rest of their lives. Research shows that a mother’s reading skill is the greatest determinant of her children’s future academic success, outweighing other factors, such as neighborhood and family income. Thus, by helping adult learners (many of whom are mothers) improve their literacy skills we are impacting the next generation, as well. Check out our latest blog post written by First Literacy Executive Director, Terry Witherell. https://lnkd.in/ebzNR_Ny #adultliteracy #familyliteracy

Factors that contribute to low literacy rates are on the rise in the United States. To catch up with the rest of the world concerning literacy rates, the United States can take several steps: 1. Improve Education Funding: Allocate more resources to education, including increased funding for schools, hiring qualified teachers, and providing necessary learning materials. 2. Enhance Teacher Training: Offer professional development programs and support for teachers to improve their teaching methods and skills, ensuring they can effectively teach literacy to students. 3. Early Childhood Education: Implement comprehensive early childhood education programs to give children a strong foundation in literacy skills before they enter formal schooling. 4. Focus on Literacy Instruction: Develop and implement evidence-based literacy instruction methods and curriculum that address the specific needs of diverse learners, including those with learning disabilities or English as a second language. 5. Promote Parental Involvement: Encourage and support parental involvement in their children's education, including promoting reading at home, providing resources, and offering adult literacy programs. 6. Address Socioeconomic Disparities: Address the socioeconomic factors that contribute to low literacy rates, such as poverty, by implementing policies that provide equal access to quality education for all students. 7. Embrace Technology: Utilize technology and digital resources to enhance literacy instruction and provide additional learning opportunities for students. 8. Collaborate with Communities: Engage community organizations, libraries, and other stakeholders to create literacy programs and initiatives that support lifelong learning and promote literacy skills among all age groups. By implementing these strategies and prioritizing literacy education, the United States can make significant progress in catching up with the rest of the world in terms of literacy rates.

As Elementary Principals and Parents, we know early literacy skills are important building blocks for future academic success. Yet despite our best efforts, too many students still struggle to reach reading proficiency by 3rd grade - that critical milestone year. Before third grade students are learning to read, after third grade students are expected to read to learn. The reasons for family struggles are many - from long working hours or financial constraints to obstacles engaging families such as limited access to a variety of books at home. But we can't afford to let these barriers stop our children's literacy development and love of learning from the start. That's why I'm looking forward to this insightful Instagram Live discussion on empowering families as partners in nurturing early literacy. Natasha, Kim, and I will talk about real-world strategies that we can implement in our schools and homes, no matter the circumstances. For principals like me, it's an opportunity to glean ideas for strengthening family literacy nights and parent workshops. And for caregivers, you may discover manageable yet meaningful activities to make reading a cherished daily habit. It’s going to take a village to make a change. When schools and families work together from the beginning, we can ensure every child builds a firm foundation to become literate and to be a critical thinker. I hope you'll join us for this engaging conversation on paving strong literacy foundations for all our students. Their future success depends on our commitment today. Join us on May 13, 2024 on Instagram at 4:00 PM CST @literacyleadershipcoach #LiteracyMatters #Edreform #SchoolLeadership #Schools #Edchat #Education #EarlyEd

"The first sentence of the “Unsettled science” report claims, “Early education programs are widely believed to be effective public investments for helping children succeed in school and for reducing income and race‐based achievement gaps.” If it’s “widely believed” that large‐scale preschool programs are an effective tool, that’s because people want it to be so, not because the evidence backs up that belief." Cognitive talent is as heritable as height and eye color. Regardless of how many trillions of dollars any entity spends, there will be students who simply do not and will not meet the standards. They lack the volition. They lack the ability. Read The Cult of Smart by Fredrik de Boer. One of the best books I've read in recent years. "...[W]hat we are left with is a simple reality: thanks to the heritability of academic ability, the range of the possible in the classroom is dramatically smaller than conventionally assumed. A large portion of the variation in academic outcomes will remain permanently out of the hands of schools and teachers" (121). Moreover, "[T]he idea that all children enjoy more or less the same academic potential and can excel if only they enjoy stable parenting, a healthy environment, and good teaching cannot withstand scientific scrutiny. It's precisely this conceit that dominates education politics and policy, and the consequences hurt students, teachers, parents, and taxpayers" (86). It leads to blaming teachers and school systems; "education becomes a proxy for our society's greatest ills." Why? Because schools are something we can control with public funding, legislation, and school boards, which need to believe they are making a difference. But let's get real. It's all a waste, throwing trillions upon trillions of dollars into a black hole. DeBoer urges us to be realistic about what we can control and who is responsible for outcomes. #education #preschool