For the Love of Reading

Just one of many cute books found on Lookybook.com - a site that allows you to read children's books before buying them.

The second week of February is all about love. That life-enriching, forever kind of love. The kind that makes you brighter, more successful and always leaves your heart completely intact.

For 27 years, Tucson Unified School District has dubbed this time of year Love of Reading Week . It's become a national celebration, with the aim of instilling literature appreciation in students and rekindling it in adults.

Every year during this week, I take a trip to Ms. North's 3rd grade class at Manzo Elementary School. If you've never read to a room full of kids, you should definitely get around to it. They listen so hard, you can almost feel them hanging on your words. Hear what one child psychologist has to say about the benefits of reading aloud:

Not surprisingly, the more time children spend reading and being read to, the higher their reading achievement. And that achievement means much more than a stellar report card - statistically speaking, it's the key to high school graduation, college attendance and ultimately a decent-paying job.

Research shows that fourth grade is a particularly important year. Two thirds of students who cannot read proficiently by fourth grade will end up in jail or on welfare, according to nationally acclaimed reading specialist Louisa Moats.

That knowledge makes the following statistics even more depressing. The latest test results from the National Assessment of Educational Progress shows that 44 percent of Arizona's fourth graders are below the basic reading level. It gets worse.

Minority and low-income students are faring far worse compared to their white peers.

• In 2007, Black students had an average score that was lower than that of White students by 17 points. In 1992, the average score for Black students was lower than that of White students by 22 points.
• In 2007, Hispanic students had an average score that was lower than that of White students by 27 points. In 1992, the average score for Hispanic students was lower than that of White students by 23 points.
• In 2007, students who were eligible for free/reduced-price school lunch, a proxy for poverty, had an average score that was lower than that of students who were not eligible for free/reduced-price school lunch by 29 points. In 1998, the average score for students who were eligible for free/reduced-price school lunch was lower than the score of those not eligible by 32 points.
  

As simplistic as it sounds, the fight against hunger, poverty, crime, sickness and welfare dependency should start with Dr. Seuss.