Getting a read on the importance of reading -- from those just learning

BETHLEHEM, Pa. — The school overflowed with nurturing teachers and dutiful administrators with more degrees than a foot-long thermometer.

But it was left to Noah Cordon, all of 7, to define the mission of the day as succinctly as possible:

"Reading,” Noah, a soft-spoken second grader, said, “makes you smarter.”

From the mouths of babes.

Noah punctuated his words with a nod and a shake of his favorite book, “Dog Man: Mothering Heights,” a good-triumphs-evil masterpiece.

Reading was the message of the moment at Bethlehem Area School District's Marvine Elementary School and across the Lehigh Valley on Thursday morning.

The United Way of Greater Lehigh Valley’s Lehigh Valley Reads community mobilization event spreads the word about the connection between early literacy and future success.

The event is held in conjunction with National Reading Month, with a full day of school visits to promote the Million Minute Challenge.

The challenge is a digitally based event focused on promoting reading, with a collective goal of reading 1 million or more minutes throughout the month of March.

Events also were held at Paxinosa Elementary School in Easton and Ramos Elementary School in Allentown.

The Lehigh Valley Reads mascot, Corey the Apple, was on hand at each school to deliver reading materials, school supplies and underscore the importance of reading.

A promise to read

The data linking reading and success is undeniable.

When a child is reading on grade level by the end of third grade, he or she is up to 13 times more likely to graduate high school.

At Marvine, two kindergarten classes and one second-grade class were read grade-appropriate books by Lehigh Valley Reads partner volunteers.

In Mrs. McKinnon’s kindergarten class, children were smiling and engaged as Rosemarie Lister, senior network director of community health at St. Luke’s University Health Network, read “I Promise,” a New York Times’ best-selling children's book authored by NBA superstar LeBron James.

The book’s messages: Promise to do good things. Promise to be open and honest, promise to wear a smile, promise to ask for help when needed, promise to remain humble and strong, promise to be a team player.

And promise to read.

I promise, the kids echoed with rapt attention.

“This is Read Across America Week, so we’re emphasizing the importance of reading,” Marvine Principal Julissa Jiminez. “We want to show the students why it’s important to continue reading and why it’s good to help us continue learning.”

'How important this is'

The importance of initiatives such as Lehigh Valley Reads can't be overstated.

Nationally, only 67% of third-grade pupils assessed on reading performed on grade level in spring 2022. That was only a small increase from 66% in spring 2021 and still below the historical rate of 72%.

Jill Periera, vice president for education at the United Way of the Greater Lehigh Valley, said the coronavirus pandemic’s impact on schools severely affected literacy rates across the Lehigh Valley.

After the pandemic, the rates of third-graders reading on a grade level dropped from 65% to as low as 50% in some cases.

“I'm not exactly sure where we stand right now, regionally,” Periera said. “Different districts had different kinds of infrastructure in place to mitigate those challenges sooner.

“Bethlehem is one of those districts that has really focused on quality instruction in the classroom for teaching reading. And so their numbers are moving in a really great direction.

"Some other districts still have some work to do on building that back up.”

Whether the book is “No More Monsters Under My Bed,” a favorite of Olivia Morales, a 5-year-old kindergartener, or “Mindful Mr. Sloth,” a humorous friendship story and modern fable about the importance of mindfulness, what’s most important is children continue developing consistent reading habits.

“Reading literacy has massive repercussions on a community and how a community thrives, and economically,” Periera said. “All of those pieces.

"I can't emphasize enough how important this is."

A soft-spoken second-grader would agree.