Let's Talk New Mexico, 2/1 8am: Child literacy is a problem in New Mexico.The state ranks last in the nation with almost 80% of children not proficient in reading by the fourth grade. This also impacts their ability to apply reading skills to other subjects taught in school. Furthermore, kids who aren’t reading at grade level by the fourth grade are more likely to drop out of school and less likely to attend college. And, children from low income families, those with disabilities, and children of color are even more at risk.
At the beginning of this year’s legislative session, Governor Michelle Lujhan Grisham announced a plan to help boost these alarming numbers, urging lawmakers to invest more into structured literacy programs, otherwise called The Science of Reading. Under this program, students learn decoding skills through studying the sound of words, symbols, and knowing syllables among other tools that have proven to be effective for all readers.
On this week’s Let’s Talk New Mexico, we’ll discuss how structured literacy would impact our struggling education system. Are you an educator or parent? Do you think structured literacy will boost kids’ reading proficiency? Email letstalk@kunm.org, leave a voice message on the web page for the show, or call in live Thursday morning at 8.
Guests:
-Amanda DeBell, Deputy Secretary, New Mexico Public Education Department
-David Hurford, Executive Director, The Center for READing, Pittsburg State University
-Sara Mickelson, Deputy Secretary, Early Child Education and Care Department
-Emily Wildau, Senior Research and Policy Analyst/KIDS COUNT Coordinator, New Mexico Voices for Children
Resources:
Sold a Story: How Teaching Kids to Read Went to Wrong Podcast
