Only about half of Vermont’s third graders read at a proficient level. For children of color, with disabilities or in poverty, their reading levels are often even lower. We take a closer look at literacy rates among Vermont’s children, and how they’ve changed over the past 20 years. A teacher from the Winooski School District tells us about her hands-on experience in the classroom, and how they teach reading in the state’s most diverse school district. We also talk to the Children’s Literacy Foundation, which works to inspire kids in Vermont and New Hampshire to love reading and writing. We’ll learn how they work to improve literacy– in all of its forms.
Mikaela Lefrak is the host and senior producer of Vermont Edition. Her stories have aired nationally on Morning Edition, All Things Considered, Weekend Edition, Marketplace, The World and Here & Now. A seasoned local reporter, Mikaela has won two regional Edward R. Murrow awards and a Public Media Journalists Association award for her work.