Reading is no longer intuitive. We reach for phones instead of books. Less than half of Utah’s third grade students (48%) are reading on grade level, an astounding fact published by the Kem C. Gardner Policy Institute.
One out of two children in the state of Utah cannot read proficiently. For the past five years, that percentage has basically remained steady. Out of Utah’s 852 public schools this year, the Utah State Board of Education celebrated 60 schools that have achieved a reading rate of 70%. While this is a positive trend, all of our schools should at the very least hit this minimum requirement.
This quiet reading crisis in our state and across the nation will eventually explode into unskilled workers faced with limited possibilities. National data shows that only 31% of students are reading at or above grade level.
An illiterate population will cost our state and our nation financially and fundamentally. Life will change for all of us if more than half our citizens can no longer read. A literate workforce has long been the propelling force of America’s middle class. Our democracy relies on literate people who can think and reason for themselves. Impending AI and illiteracy is a combination that will be difficult to weather.
Reading connects parents and caregivers to children. It initiates and enhances core values of compassion, empathy and reasoning. Study after study concludes that only a small percentage of preschool-age children are read to on a consistent basis. Parents and caregivers are the first and most important teachers and role models. If a parent is reading, then a child is reading.
In 2022, Utah State Sen. Ann Millner and Rep. Bradley G. Last proposed SB 127 and brought Utah’s reading crisis into full exposure. This bill mandates that 70% of third grade students be reading at or above grade level by 2027. The state has allocated around $20 million for training teachers in the “Science of Reading,” a renewed emphasis on phonics, as well as providing funding for continuing literacy projects.
Solving the serious problem of low reading ability requires an understanding of what is driving reading levels down. Has technology fundamentally changed our approach to learning? In the three years since the bill passed, there has been little movement in reading percentages.
A public policy focus on improving reading rates for third graders is essential to Utah’s strength and position, as is continued financial and structural support. The complexities involved in creating a sound, rigorous education system for our state will depend on a united effort to find solutions.
Individuals are also a large part of the solution. Do we need to wait for the government, an app or another institution to tell us what to do? No. The answer is simple: Come together and read. Read to the children in our families, volunteer to read in community centers, and support our teachers and schools. One part of the solution is in our own hands — let’s pick up a book and read.