3rd and 4th grade readers

Multiple studies/research have been completed on reading and it's impact on school success.  We as educators know that if reading problems aren't addressed in 3rd and 4th grade that student who has problems is at risk for dropping out and not completing school. You can read one study at http://www.aecf.org/Newsroom/NewsReleases/HTML/2011Releases/DoubleJeopardy.aspx.  If you also consider socioeconomic status, the student is even more at risk for failure.  The more we look at data, the more we know that children with poor reading skills, combined with other indicators is very likely to fail. We know this as educators, we can identify these students, so why aren't we doing something?  There is not an easy answer to this question.

The answers involve parents, teachers, administrators, and central office personnel.  Why so many people?  We know what is right for the child.  Teachers are controlled by administrators, administrators are controlled by central office personnel.  Teachers can only do what they are allowed to do.  As a teacher, I can make recommendations, but those recommendations can be taken or discarded.  In my experience, more times than not my recommendations have been discarded.  At this point, I have no recourse as a teacher. 

This of course brings up the debate on social promotion.  Social promotion is advancing the student to the next grade level so that the student can remain with the same group of peers.  Many parents do not want their child held back in school. As educators, we know that reading problems that exist in the 3rd and 4th grade are detrimental to the students' success, many times the student will never catch up to their peers, regardless of the reading interventions.  If this is not addressed at 3rd and 4th grade levels the outlook is less than positive.  Another study that supports this is found at http://www.coreknowledge.org/mimik/mimik_uploads/documents/17/DismalNAEP.pdf. 

So, if you child is beyond 4th grade and the teachers are recommending reading interventions, then it is imperative that you as a parent demand that you student gets the interventions.  If your student is a primary student, pay very close attention to the reading scores, the reading lessons and practices.  Work with the teachers on what you as a parent can do to assist the student to become successful.  I might add, if a teacher recommends that your child remain in the grade level for an additional year, then seriously consider this, for the sake of your child's success.  The best self-esteem builder is academic success.