The education world has a harsh reality: If a child falls behind on reading skills by third or fourth grade, that student is at high risk of dropping out of school and most likely will struggle to succeed in the workforce.
“That is the critical age, the turning point,” said Edward King, chief program officer for the United Way California Capital Region. “They need to get those core reading skills, that fluency, because everything from then on comes at them fast.”
“You need to learn to read so you can read to learn.”
As hespoke, King stood in a classroom at Bell Elementary School, part of the Robla School District in North Sacramento, watching as a dozen children at computers, many with earphones connected to online tutors, each of them reading out loud…