A generous donation from Marlow Motors
Shaping the Story
Looming literacy problems are getting early recognition as organizations across our region are currently looking to bolster the available workforce. A collaboration has surfaced to ensure there is a strong talent pool for years to come. The Campaign for Grade-Level Reading is a national effort that is now crafting a new chapter to the story of Winchester, Virginia. The program focuses on grade-level reading by the end of third grade, where proficiency in reading enables students to shift from learning to read to reading to learn. Students who are not reading at grade-level before entering fourth grade have been shown to have a higher percentage to drop out before graduating high school. While the data shows that third grade is a key predictor of the success of students and soon-to-be adults, the primary push is targeted to improve literacy prior to kindergarten, especially for low-income families. Ninety percent of the brain is developed by age five.
Andy Gail poses with Dolly Parton at National Night Out
Locally, the Campaign for Grade-Level Reading is spearheaded by Literacy Volunteers of the Winchester Area (LVWA) and Executive Director, Andy Gail. The Community Solutions Action Plan submitted on January 10, 2022 by LVWA, has some encouraging data coupled with eye-opening statistics on Winchester, Virginia. While graduation rates have remained intact, third grade reading proficiency has dropped twelve percent from the 2016-2017 school year to 2018-2019. The pandemic years have been shown in many other areas to have widened this gap, but no testing was done during those years to provide statistical information to compare. The gap also grew in comparison with students throughout the Commonwealth. Local students were nine percent behind the state average in 2016-2017 but sat fourteen percent lower in 2018-2019. The state average also dropped four percent during that time. Statistics of reading performance for economically disadvantaged families dropped nine percent locally, where the state saw a five percent decrease. Alarmingly, students who are learning English, fell twenty-eight percent from 2016 to 2021.
There was a problem before there was a problem. These statistics forecast the years to come for education and workforce development in our area. Steep dives prior to the pandemic are all predicted to be accelerated by the time spent out of the classroom during social distancing. Nationally, concerns are raised regarding the next generation’s preparation for success to graduate high school, continue to higher education, participate in the military, or succeed in a global economy. There is a good reason to be concerned when you look at education systems around the world. The United States ranks highest for our education system, but American students fall behind internationally in subjects such as math and science. A Business Insider report in 2018 listed the United States 24th overall in science and 38th in math. Andy stands with Emily Marlow Beck of Marlow Motors after a donation
