December 20, 2023
Literacy Matters for Everyone
Reading is a gateway to many academic skills. Strong readers are able to access school curriculum and build on their prior knowledge more easily than students who struggle with reading. Strong readers are confident students who are more likely to pursue further education. Students who struggle with reading and do not receive adequate intervention and support may become less involved in their education. Reading ability develops young, and some professionals say reading proficiently by the end of third grade is considered pivotal for future academic success. Unfortunately, a lack of reading proficiency by third grade disproportionately affects lower income students. Socioeconomic status (SES) can be a predictor for academic achievement, especially since school systems in low income districts are often under-resourced and can struggle to support specific academic interventions. These districts can experience increased dropout rates, which impacts student achievement and perpetuates the low income status of some communities (Education and Socioeconomic Status Factsheet). There are many secondary factors that impact childrens’ ability to perform well in school, including health problems, a lack of interactions that promote linguistic development, limited access to pre-K programs, chronic absence, regressing during summer vacation, food/housing insecurity, or other family related stressors.
While addressing the issue of inequality in education is a complex topic with no clear solution, one clear recommendation is that access to high quality educational programs must be universal. At Rally, that is what we hope to provide (Early Warning! Why Reading by the End of Third Grade Matters, The Annie E. Casey Foundation, January 1, 2010). One of the largest barriers to academic success is low quality reading instruction. Rally Reader aims to address this achievement gap by providing personalized reading support to all readers. Our product enables students to work on their reading without the one-to-one support of an adult. Rally supports reading development in the hope that as children become stronger readers, they will grow into confident students who are inspired and motivated throughout their educational careers.