Even more, the programs recognize the vital link with parents. The best hope for creating a more literate nation is a partnership between the family and the school. Research is absolutely clear about the essential role parents play in teaching children effective communication skills. Nothing is more powerful than parents reading aloud to their children. And nothing is more reinforcing than teachers encouraging parents.
Literacy is more than learning to read and write words.
An article in last January's Phi Delta Kappan says literacy is a social phenomenon. Children become literate not only from the formal instruction they receive, but from what they read and write about and who they read and write with. In other words, the best way to help students become literate is by giving them plenty of practical opportunity for guided practice. As we work to prepare students with skills for growing and living, let us take every opportunity to reinforce reading, writing, listening, and speaking skills with a new level of passion and conviction. Let us unlock the prison doors.