By Zamone Perez
FAYETTEVILLE, N.C. (PNS) — An initiative in United Methodist churches across rural North Carolina aimed at strengthening students’ reading skills has reached two congregations in Cumberland County.
The Summer Literacy Initiative by the Duke Endowment is working to combat academic backsliding in reading among first, second and third graders in the Tar Heel State.
Experts said while students have a steady flow of academic resources during the school year, children in low-income and under-resourced areas often find the flow slows to a trickle over the summer.
Kathy Newton-Dunton, pastor of John Wesley United Methodist Church in Fayetteville, hopes when kids become stronger readers, it will prepare them to be stronger leaders.
“The whole idea is to help children to face the future in a more positive way because children are our future, but they are also our leaders, not just in the future, but they are our leaders even now,” Newton-Dunton explained.
The initiatives take place for four to six weeks during the summer, Monday through Friday, with professional teachers leading groups of students. More than 2,000 children have been served by more than 20 churches participating in the initiative.
David Woodhouse, pastor of Hay Street United Methodist Church in Fayetteville, where many of his congregants are current or former educators and university faculty, said many of them are aware of the connections between third grade literacy scores and high school graduation and later economic mobility.
“We want to do our part as a congregation to help ensure that the children in our community are able to understand what they’re reading, and they not only understand it, but that they actually develop a love for reading, and that they see school as something that can be fun and engaging,” Woodhouse emphasized.
According to Literacy Mid-South, nearly 75% of third graders who read poorly will then read poorly in the ninth grade and are four times more likely to leave high school without a diploma.