Highlights

"In the United States, more than a third of all children enter school judged by their teachers as 'not ready to learn'. A substantial proportion of these students cannot read well by fourth grade, and most will drop out before earning their diploma. American students in general are lagging behind many of our international competitors in literacy, math, and science achievement as well as college attendance and completion rates” (Chiong & Shuler, 2010, p. 6).

"Children who have difficulty reading in Grade 1 are more likely to have greater difficulty in other school domains later on, and are more likely not to complete high school or pursue their education beyond high school” (Martini & Sénéchal, 2012, p. 210).

“The National Assessment of Educational Progress reveals that 37 percent of U.S. fourth graders fail to achieve basic levels of reading achievement. Large-scale studies have shown that young children —those entering kindergarten and first grade—vary greatly in their attainment of the early precursor skills that provide the launching pad for later literacy learning” (Lonigan & Shanahan, 2008, p.1)

"Parent involvement is linked to children's school readiness. Research shows that greater parent involvement in children's learning positively affects the child's school performance, including higher academic achievement. Children with richer home literacy environments demonstrate higher levels of reading knowledge and skills at kindergarten entry (Nord, Lennon, Westat, & Chandler, 2000).

“Several studies have shown that parent expectations for their child’s success in reading are related to children’s reading in Grade 1” (Martini & Sénéchal, 2012, p. 211). Parents can make a difference! And you will learn how…