March is here and with it comes “March is Reading Month”. Schoolchildren nationwide look forward to the chance to spend some extra time with a good book and enjoy the activities and reading contests that go along with the special month.
Governor Gretchen Whitmer said, “Every year the country uses this month to promote reading and imagination. I am proud to declare March as Reading Month in Michigan and I encourage everyone to find time to read. This month, we should recommit ourselves to encouraging children and young adults to read diverse literary works early and often so they can see themselves and others in what they read.”
There is a more serious side to the month beyond “read-ins” and book sales, and that is education funding that gives teachers the resources they need to make every child a good reader.
Michigan ranks below the national average when it comes to 4th-grade reading proficiency, according to the National Assessment of Educational Progress. By 8th and 12th grades, Michigan students are slightly above average.
Michigan’s budget plan for this fiscal year is the largest public-school allocation in Michigan history, and that includes $1.7 billion to go directly into schools.
Reporting for WGRT – Jennie McClelland
