{"id":72468,"date":"2026-02-06T16:37:07","date_gmt":"2026-02-06T21:37:07","guid":{"rendered":"https:\/\/bridgemi.com\/?p=72468"},"modified":"2026-02-06T16:37:14","modified_gmt":"2026-02-06T21:37:14","slug":"opinion-the-youth-literacy-crisis-is-a-threat-to-the-nations-foundation","status":"publish","type":"post","link":"https:\/\/bridgemi.com\/guest-commentary\/opinion-the-youth-literacy-crisis-is-a-threat-to-the-nations-foundation\/","title":{"rendered":"Opinion | The youth literacy crisis is a threat to the nation\u2019s foundation"},"content":{"rendered":"\n

The right of students to literacy is in crisis. Reading skills are at historic lows. Last year, for instance, we learned 1 out of 3<\/a> high school seniors cannot determine the meaning of a word through context. Without context skills, people can\u2019t read contracts, learn new information, or participate in an economy increasingly driven by advanced technology. <\/p>\n\n\n\n

The fact is that many pathways to higher education and job opportunities are closed to students with few literacy skills. It is more than an individual crisis. It is a threat to the nation\u2019s economic engine and civic engagement.  <\/p>\n\n\n

\n
\"Side
Denise Forte is CEO of EdTrust. Jennifer Mrozowski is senior director of strategic communications and external relations of EdTrust \u2013 Midwest. (Courtesy photos)<\/figcaption><\/figure>\n<\/div>\n\n\n

The US could gain an additional $2.2 trillion<\/a> in income, every year, if every American adult was at a sixth grade reading level. And the cost is most acute where literacy rates are lowest. This is alarming given that reading scores have fallen most precipitously for Black and Latino students and students from low-income backgrounds. For example, roughly only 1 in 5<\/a> fourth grade Black and Latino students and students from low-income backgrounds are proficient readers.<\/p>\n\n\n\n

At the same time, the federal government\u2019s Department of Education\u2019s focus on patriotic education<\/a> threatens both the future of civic engagement and literacy. Representation is a vital component of any successful literacy program, and the overwhelming push toward the erasure of important aspects of race and identity from school curricula keeps diverse literature, truth and facts out of the nation\u2019s classroom.<\/p>\n\n\n\n

In Michigan, we are getting back on track through fair investments, targeted curriculum, and diverse voices.<\/p>\n\n\n\n

Last year Michigan awarded $87 million<\/a> to districts across the state to purchase and use evidence-based reading curricula as well as to train teachers in research-backed literacy instruction. The current budget contains an additional $70 million available for local districts.<\/p>\n\n\n\n

Michigan is focused not just on the mechanics of reading but also investing children in reading. The Michigan Department of Education recently published a report<\/a> designed to empower teachers to become \u201cliterature advocates\u201d and help students understand a complex world through reading diverse voices and finding themselves represented in authors and stories.<\/p>\n\n\n\n

Last year, Michigan passed a Reading for All<\/a> law to provide targeted, differentiated reading interventions for students, especially those with dyslexia. The law creates early intervention programs, decoding support, and teacher empowerment funding to ensure they know how best to teach reading skills to all students. <\/p>\n\n\n\n

Early literacy is a core standard in Michigan\u2019s Great Start Readiness Program<\/a>, which provides free PreK to every 4-year-old across the state. Continued and deep investment in Michigan\u2019s earliest readers will put them on track to be strong students.<\/p>\n\n\n\n

Just as important as the principles, we need to fix unfair school funding formulas.<\/p>\n\n\n\n

Nationwide, research<\/a> reveals that districts with the most Black, Latino, and Native students receive substantially less state and local revenue \u2014 as much as $2,700 per student, than districts with the fewest students of color. When it comes to providing children with a high-quality education, money matters<\/a>.<\/p>\n\n\n\n

Michigan has made substantial strides toward fair school funding through its opportunity index. The index became the basis for Michigan\u2019s school funding formula in 2023, and it bases funding on the concentration of poverty within a school district. In other words, it helps schools and students get the additional funding they need and not just the per-pupil funding allocated through the foundation allowance.<\/p>\n\n\n\n

Literacy turnarounds are sometimes described as miracles<\/a>. But the idea that students, especially those of color or those from low-income backgrounds, can become proficient readers only through divine intervention is preposterous. It also says a lot about the systemic barriers and stereotypes inherent in our education systems.<\/p>\n\n\n\n

Literacy achievements come about through a fierce commitment to evidence-based practices and hard work by teachers, students, and families. They are proof that all students, of every race, family background, and zip code, can read when they are afforded the proper resources.Now is a moment for action. Yes, salute those states, like Michigan, who make commitments to their students<\/a> but demand more do the same. We cannot treat the literacy crisis state by state. A generation of students without reading skills is a national emergency.<\/p>\n","protected":false},"excerpt":{"rendered":"

Literacy achievements come about through a fierce commitment to evidence-based practices and hard work by teachers, students, and families. 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