Schell Room, Williamsburg Library
The Williamsburg Area League of Women Voters Education Committee invites all area citizens to a community meeting to discuss a crisis:
- The cost of reading failure to the Nation’s taxpapers and businesses is estimated at $20 billion per year. (A National Crisis, United Way of America)
- Approximately 50% of Nation’s youth, age 16-19, are functionally unable to read, with no prospects of getiing a good job with good pay. (Reading is Fundamental)
- Girls age 16-19 who struggled to learn to read and are living in poverty are 12 times more likely to have a child out of wedlock. (American Public Health Association)
- Illiteracy and crime are closely related. “The link between academic failure and delinquency, violence, and crime is welded to reading failure.” Over 70% of inmates in America’s prisons cannot read above a fourth grade level. (Department of Justice)
- 90% of people receiving public assistance read at the lowest reading level. (John Corcoran Foundation)
October 3, 2013, 7:00 PM (Doors open at 6:45) in the Schell Room, Williamsburg Library
Dr. Richard Long, Director, Government Relations International Reading Association
Discusses the proposed New Literacy Law and Virginia Standards of Learning, and the Virginia’s Legislature role to ensure that all kids are ready to start school ready to learn, that all students learn to read, and graduate career and college ready.
Glenn Marshall, Chair “Adopt A School” Initiative, Association for Manufacturing Excellence
Shares how a community can collectively impact a “cradle to career” process to enable our educational system to produce literate, career-ready citizens for success in school and life.
How can you make a difference?