Under-developed reading skills can be a barrier to success

By Kathy Glampe, August guest blogger

I grew up reading.  Every week during the summer, my Mom would take me to the library where I would check out 10-12 novels. While I don’t really remember this, my Mom told me that I would wake up around 5 or 6 a.m. so that I could get several hours of reading time in before my friends woke up and would want me to go out and play. 

Unfortunately, many low-income and first generation students aren’t being nurtured in this way, and many aren’t reading at all. When a student in the Student Support Services program (SSS) at St. Olaf College reported to me that he had nothing to do this summer, I provided him several novels. When I checked in with him, he said he had started one, but had returned to Sports Illustrated. When he mentioned that he would read if he were to have the DaVinci Code, I brought in a copy for him. (Of course, I also reminded him that St. Olaf has one of the largest collections of books in the Midwest….) Unfortunately, that didn’t get him to read either — even when we talked about the importance of reading to improving his academic success.   
      
This student is representative of many low-income and first-generation students, and it poses a serious threat to students’ academic success.  Theron P. Snell, in a recent article, First-Generation Students, Social Class and Literacy writes that “only about one-third of those from the lowest income group (families with income under $10,000) read literature during the survey year.”

The National Center for Education Statistics reports that reading proficiency has declined in all groups of students. Not surprisingly, the under-developed critical reading and writing skills of many TRiO eligible students (low income, first generation students and students with disabilities) at St. Olaf is one of the areas my colleagues in the STEM fields have identified as a significant barrier to TRiO students’ academic success in STEM. 

Fortunately, I work with many dedicated science and mathematics faculty at St. Olaf who are invested in the success of students who are TRiO eligible. To address this problem, professor of biology Anne Walter and English professor and director of writing, Diane Leblanc, developed a new course targeted to science and math majors from underprepared groups to focus on their reading and writing skills. 

While I am thankful to work at an institution that is willing to focus time and resources in this area, I know that not all colleges are able to provide such assistance. Moreover, this is only one small step to remedy a vast problem. Encouraging all students, especially low-income and first generation students, to become proficient readers and lovers of books is critical to their college success.

What have you seen working for all ages — K-postsecondary? How can we as individuals make a difference?