A Jumpstart for Nashville?

From TN Edu-Independent - If we did nothing else for students for the 10-13 years they spend in the K-12 system, 200 days a year, 6 hours of learning a day, we ought to at least teach them how to read, and read well.

Really, think about it. In Nashville, we spend $11,500 per student or so - in 10 to 13 years, we're spending more than $100,000 per student, and yet, a number of them can barely read by the time they drop out or graduate from high school.

Literacy underpins your ability to learn other subjects and it's a key skill needed to be a citizen in our modern day society.

For me, first thing is first. Literacy is such a crucial skill - we have to get it right early and for EVERY student.  Forget iPads, forget robot throwing frisbees, forget using Twitter as a learning tool. Those things are after the fact. We really need to prioritize early literacy.

With that in mind, I think Nashville could create a Jumpstart like model through the non-profit organizations that already exist. It's not a silver bullet - there are none, but it would help and bring more awareness to the issue and some action to the challenge.

We don't need to create a new non-profit organization in Nashville. We have a lot of college students and a lot of community service organizations. Plenty of early childhood programs serving young children as well.  Putting those things together to prioritize early literacy and language for all students in our city would be a wise thing to do.  Learn more about Jumpstart:

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