Case for Action
Why Target Reading First?
Reading is fundamental to a child's success in school and beyond.
- Reading is the number one factor in determining a student's ability to be successful in any other course of study.
- Children who are introduced to reading at an early age and are supported in this skill in the home, in school, and in the community are more successful students and adults.
- There is a strong correlation between educational achievement and employment and the economy.
- Jobs of the future will require increasing levels of education. 70% of jobs will require more than high school education
- Strong educational performance is required for our community to attract and retain high paying jobs.
But Kern County children lag behind the state and nation in reading and educational performance. Consider these statistics:
- 69% of 3rd graders scored at/above the 50th National Percentile Ranking in reading
- 62% of CSUB freshmen need remedial English
- 55% of CSUB freshmen need remedial math
- 75% of unemployed adults have reading or writing difficulties
- 28% of children in Kern County live in poverty
The community is committed to improving these statistics. The critical role of education -- pre K through higher education -- is a recurring theme in the Greater Bakersfield Vision 2020 strategies for Economic Development, Education, and Quality of Life. In 2001 a community -based team, consisting of leaders in education, business, and the non profit community, reviewed the dozens of strategies and action plans related to education. It became apparent that we needed to narrow the focus, to answer the question, "What should we do first?" Because reading is fundamental to a child's success in school and later in life, the team came to the conclusion that reading was the key and that our focus would be to "Target Reading First!"
In forming the reading collaborative in 2002, the community recognized that there are many "reading initiatives" in Kern, from the grassroots to the more formal, with little or no coordination. To be successful in helping the most people as effectively and efficiently as possible, it became clear that the community had to come together to coordinate reading efforts in Kern.
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