Sen. Nelson: Let’s Bring Minnesota Students to Reading Excellence
According to the Brainpower Blog at Skills@Work,
By 2018 62% of American jobs will require some education beyond high school. In Minnesota 70% will need education after high school, yet only 40% of current working-age adults hold a post-secondary degree.
As a former teacher, Sen. Carla Nelson remains committed to closing the skills gap in Minnesota:
Closing the skills gap begins with proficient readers. Students must be proficient readers by the end of third grade. I focused on early literacy by supporting a new literacy stream of funding to schools tied to literacy growth. I have supported policies focusing on early literacy, to ensure students are reading proficiently no later than the end of grade three.
Sen. Nelson also authored the bill that tripled the funding for the highly effective Reading Corps. The Reading Corps provides data driven tutoring to students who are struggling with reading, through the third grade. Trained Reading Corps tutors bring students up to grade level, accompanied with a reduction in special education referrals.
Sen. Nelson vigorously supports giving teachers the tools and resources they need to facilitate literacy and reading excellence across the board in Minnesota schools. Working with proactive organizations such as the Reading Corp, we can fulfill Minnesota’s commitment to educational excellence.
