The Criticalness of Learning
As a Sunday school teacher, I’ve wondered every year what happens to the Bibles that a church hands out annually to its first graders. I don’t disagree with the intent, but what do the children and parents do with their new Bible when it’s brought home? What if they can’t read or are just learning to do so? Who do they go to if their parents are illiterate? The same can be said of other books as well.
The ability to read is so important. ProLiteracy, an advocate group for adult literacy, reports that an estimated 36 million adults in the United States “don’t have basic reading, writing, and math skills above a third-grade level.” Studies have shown the level of literacy has a domino effect at home. ProLiteracy points out via their analysis that “children of adults with low literacy skills are 72 percent more likely to be at a low reading level in school.” The Children’s Reading Foundation reports that “two out of every 10 children enter kindergarten with skills two to three years lower than their grade level.” The latest test scores from such agencies as the National Assessment of Educational Progress (NAEP) show slippage for fourth and eighth graders in reading.
Recently, the National Center for Education Statistics (NCES) put forth an alarming statistic: approximately 34 percent of students in the fourth grade are “below basic reading level.” The ability to read and comprehend is essential in all walks of life. It isn’t just being able to read the latest fiction book, but also to comprehend math basics and problems, science topics, and historical milestones. It is important for the continued growth of America.
When was the last time the United States lead in education? According to a blog posting on the blog.aarp.org site, “Boomers Once Led the World in Education. What Happened?” the “best-educated young people in the world” were in the United States during the 1960s and 1970s. Not only were baby boomers ranked first in high school degrees earned but also ranked third overall in college and graduate degrees obtained. Then the slippage in
In 2014, George Barna and David Barton authored a book called U Turn. Its message was two-fold: what has happened to America and how to get America back to “its roots.” Barna and Barton tell us that in regards to high-school graduation rates, “America used to be number one, but now finishes in the bottom quartile among leading industrial nations of the world.” Of course, we know much more about the troubles of America today, which only lends more credence to the saying “we brought this upon ourselves.” Today, through the diligent efforts of certain politicians and concerned Americans, families in the United States have options available as to the type of school they can send their children to (see article): public schools, magnet schools, private schools, charter schools, etc.
We must think long-term not just for our future, but for the needs of our children.