In this episode, you'll hear from Oakland activists Lakisha Young, Dirk Tillotson, and Kareem Weaver about the Literacy for All campaign, which is described as going beyond focusing on “K-3 literacy outcomes” and also targets increasing the literacy of the whole family. As part of Black History Month, this newly formed coalition uses board meetings as an opportunity for parents to lay out their priorities, air grievances with the status quo, and make their voices heard. And what are they talking about? Literacy. Did you know that fewer than thirty percent of black and brown children in the United States are reading at their grade level? And this is a generational problem. Parents don't necessarily know how to advocate for their children. That's where Literacy for All steps in. Listen in to hear these amazing activists discuss how Oakland is tackling the reading crisis, how the NAACP got involved in illiteracy, and how to know if your child is reading on grade level.
Episode Details:
- Parent responses to child literacy levels in the United States
- Why childhood illiteracy in the US is in the spotlight today
- How the NAACP is involved in child literacy
- How gentrification affects literacy
- How to know if your child is reading on grade level
- How to help your child read
- How to help your child read when you are illiterate
- What schools need to be doing to mitigate the effects of COVID on education
- How schools should be teaching literacy during COVID
- How parents can advocate for their kids
[spp-tweet tweet="“The system is designed for the set of results that it consistently delivers.” – Dirk Tillotson"]
Links Mentioned:
[spp-tweet tweet="“We were checking in with our families and asking them what keeps them up at night and they were consistently saying reading.” – Lakisha Young"]
