Gov. Mike DeWine was at the Toledo Lucas County Main Library on Tuesday to discuss literacy, education and Ohio’s future.
Mr. DeWine, joined by the director of the Ohio Department of Education and Workforce, had a roundtable discussion with more than 30 local business, education, and literacy leaders.
Mr. DeWine emphasized throughout the discussion the importance of the science of reading curriculum as a proven way to combat illiteracy. The concept focuses on phonics, vocabulary, and comprehension as the most effective way to teach children how to read.
“Last week, I gave my State of the State address. I think I surprised everyone because all I talked about was kids and children. But if you look at the future of the state, it really comes down to whether our kids can live up to their full potential. It’s the right thing to do for kids,” Mr. DeWine said. “They only have one time to grow up. We have to use that opportunity to make sure they can read. Reading is the key to education, and it’s also the key to life.”
Teachers in every classroom in the state should be focused on the science of reading, he said.
“This is a challenge because for a number of years, our colleges and universities — not just in Ohio but across the country — were teaching all kinds of different ways to teach kids how to read,” Mr. DeWine said. “It’s important all of our colleges and universities are focused on teaching future teachers how to teach with a focus on the science of reading.”
Steve Dackin of the Ohio Department of Education and Workforce shared some statistics on literacy in Ohio.
“There are approximately 40 percent of third-graders who are not reading at grade level. In grades K through 4, we have 3,000 students who are not at grade level. In most cases, these kids simply have not been taught how to crack the code to learn how to read,” Mr. Dackin said.
“This isn’t just an elementary problem, it’s a middle school problem, a high school problem, a post secondary problem, and an adult problem. We have thousands of adults in Ohio who cannot read — they’re illiterate,” he said.
“All this is a call to action because, not only does it affect their particular lives, but affects the economic prosperity of our state. This becomes a work force issue for us. In a state of declining population, particularly grades K through12, which have fewer kids compared to previous years — we can’t afford to graduate kids who can’t read,” Mr. Dackin said.
The problem is solvable, he said, if schools taught the science of reading to their students.
“If we fully implement the science of reading in every school and classroom, there’s a chance that we could reduce that 40 percent to 3 percent. I’m not going to be happy until we get to 0 percent. But that’s a huge difference.”
Lucas County Commissioner Pete Gerken, who was part of the roundtable discussion, said he thought Mr. DeWine and Mr. Dackin “need to go deeper on this.”
“We need robust investment in early childhood education. If you want to get to your goal, which is proven, help us ahead of that to get them to the table. Then you’ll see the magic and crack the code,” Mr. Gerken said.
John Jones, president and CEO of HOPE Toledo, agreed.
“It does not start at reading in the K through 12 space. It starts way before that. I would echo what Commissioner Gerken said, we need way more in the early childhood space,” Mr. Jones said.
“We have to do better to make sure our kids can read,” Mr. Jones added. “It is solvable. If we don’t solve it, we’re dealing with not just issues of economic development, which is a critical issue but we’re also dealing with issues that intersect poverty and race.”
Mr. DeWine agreed that reaching children at an early age contributes to better outcomes as adults.
“We know the first three years of life are the most important,” Mr. DeWine said. “We also know that money spent in the right way during that period of time is the best money we can ever spend. How well a child does in life depends on what kind of start they get.”
First Published April 16, 2024, 9:42 p.m.
