Shaping the Story

A generous donation from Marlow Motors

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. 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 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.

Andy stands with Emily Marlow Beck of Marlow Motors after a donation

What is the solution? Well, like any good problem, the solution often lies back at the very beginning. If ninety percent of the brain is formed by age 5, that is where we need to make an impact now. If we want a capable workforce for years to come, then we need to invest time with our young children now. There are great tools to find this time in our busy days and incredible leadership collaborating to enhance literacy in our region’s youth.

The Winchester Campaign is currently made up of the following Organizations, Individuals, and Agencies:

The John and Janice Wyatt Foundation Literacy Volunteers Winchester Area Winchester Public Schools Handley Regional Library System Healthy Families Northern Shenandoah Valley Bright Futures Pediatric Associates of Winchester Shenandoah Valley Discovery Museum The Kids Club of the Northern Shenandoah Valley Top of Virginia Regional Chamber Community Foundation of the Northern Shenandoah Valley Grafton Infant & Toddler Connection of the Northern Shenandoah Valley Winchester Book Gallery STARBASE Winchester Winchester Department of Social Services Laurel Ridge Community College Valley Health Anita Jenkins Valley Assistance Network Youth Development Center

If you or your organization would like to get involved with the Campaign, please reach out to Andy Gail at agail@lvwa.org for more information. Literacy Volunteers of the Winchester Area has partnered with the Dolly Parton Imagination Library (imaginationlibrary. com/) to provide a free book mailed once a month to children who register in our region from birth to age 5. “There is no amount of screen time that can replace lap time,” says Andy Gail. “We want to get books in hands.” With such a list of local collaborators and a sharp eye to use national foundations to support their mission, LVWA is well on the way to accomplishing the goals of the campaign.

“There is no amount of screen time that can replace lap time.”

Andy Gail - Executive Director Literacy Volunteers of the Winchester Area Goals of the Campaign: Winchester’s overarching vision is to increase the percentage of 3rd graders reading at or above the proficient level to at least 75% from 52% in the next 10 years based on the Virginia Standards of Learning (SOL) ELA assessment.

We will work in three work groups to improve:

School Readiness Increase the number of children ready for kindergarten to at least 80% from 67% of children being ready based on their performance on the PALS-K. The focus will be on the further development of high-quality preschool and daycare programs and on offering families outof-school options to further learning and growth.

School Attendance Reduce chronic absenteeism and achieve rates at or below 10% among K-3rd graders at all four elementary schools by 2025.

Summer and Afterschool Learning Increase by 100% the number of K-3rd grade students who have access to summer and after-school opportunities that focus on literacy-related learning and enrichment.