The Rising Concern of Illiteracy in The U.s and The Benefits of Educating Kids

Research Proposal

In Minnesota today, nearly one in three third graders are failing to reach basic literacy skills. As you continue to read through this essay, remember that a lot of children cannot. Reading illiteracy is becoming a very prevalent issue across Minnesota. The amount of children that cannot read by third grade is way too big of a number. Being able to learn basic phonics, word conjugations, and language is important for children to be taught by third grade. By starting early as kindergarten, these children will be set for standardized testing and reading for other classes. This is a problem that is of a manageable scale that has a simple solution. Allow for those children grades kindergarten through third grade to be tutored. Not by any tutor, but by specifically trained literacy tutors through Minnesota Reading Corp.

Minnesota Reading Corp is an organization that employs literacy tutors in elementary schools across the nation. Their goal is to help every Minnesota child become a successful reader by the end of third grade. These tutors spend a week with other tutors learning simple phonics and literacy tips and tricks. Then they are placed in a school that matches their needs perfectly, and begin to work their magic. In any given day, the tutors will have around 15-20 students that they tutor. Some students are in the program for the whole year, while others succeed and are out of the program within a couple months.

To some, this may seem like a waste of a time, or don’t understand the process. It is understandable and debated that these children are put through more tutoring time and being pulled out of critical math, reading, history, or science classes. This is not the case. Minnesota Reading Corp understands that every other subject is critical to a student’s education and values that classroom time. Reading Corp tutors will pull children either early in the morning before the bell, during homeroom, and sometimes during specialist classes. Other students are pulled during individual reading or homework time. This justifies that students are getting all required education during their day at school.

This individual reading time is catered to the student. Most tutoring programs are black and white, teaching the same reading techniques to each student, never catering to the student’s needs. Minnesota Reading Corp understands that every child is different when it comes to reading. Each tutor meets with the students for 15-20 minutes each day. This 15 minutes is critical time for the student to get the attention they need. Various techniques are used such as Partner Reading, Duet Reading, and more. By addressing the child’s needs over using black and white techniques, the student will feel more self-confident and be happier when it comes time to read.

Serve Minnesota is the largest AmeriCorps program, with a very strategic initiative through Minnesota Reading Corp. Minnesota Reading Corp serves roughly 30,000 students each year, age 3 to third grade to specifically give them the reading skills needed for them to thrive both in school and in life. Reading Corp provides evidence-based literacy interventions 5 days a week alongside data-based assessments to track their progress. This program is a critical link between what is taught in the classroom and how that information can be applied through those interventions. Being a teacher, it is impossible to give one-on-one attention to each student. By having these tutors, students get attention from well-trained tutors and instruction delivered with fidelity for high achievement.

The impact alone for the past 13 years has been incredible. Each school that has this problem is internally evaluated and these are just some of the findings. Since 2003, Minnesota Reading Corp has given services to over 125,000 students. Each year there are more than 30,000 students lives that are changed. Students that are in this program continusly achieve higher literacy levels than students that don’t receive this tutoring. A study by the University of Chicago found that this program can be tailored specifically to each school and each tutor, making it the perfect tutoring program. The Center for Learning Solutions in 2012 showed that students through this program are at least three times less likely to go into special education programs. All in all, more studies than not have shown that Minnesota Reading Corp participants outperform children in matched sample comparison group on validated assessments that predict overall school readiness.

Reading Corp is proven to work over other tutoring programs for various reasons. These students make wonderful gains each and every week. This model is effective in various settings such as urban, suburban, and rural. Coaching and training is intense and sets the tutors up for every student, and so that every student will be successful regardless of what color their skin may be or where they may live.

My freshman year of college, I had the amazing opportunity to take part in this amazing organization. I had many interviews with various people to ensure that I had the best placement as possible. My school was Sweeny Elementary in Shakopee, and I worked there from fall of 2014 to spring of 2015. The children that I had as students forever changed my life. I learned new things every day, and taught my students new things every day as well. Every day, I saw changes in my students. Without the individual training time that I was able to provide to them, those children would still be struggling to be proficient readers by third grade. It was hard work to make that commitment to those children each and every day, but it was well worth every second.

It is our job as a society, parents, and educators to ensure that the younger generation is ready to the real world. We have the ability to close the achievement gap in schools across the nation, and we can start right here at home. Early childhood years is the most important period for literacy development. Children cannot learn to read all by themselves. Instead, let’s work together to help these children develop comprehension, writing, and listening skills. Malcom X understands the importance of early education when he stated, “Education is our passport to the future, for tomorrow belongs to the people who prepare for it today.”