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Lynne Waihee: Champion of Children’s Literacy |
| Former first lady of Hawaii Lynne Waihee heads the Read to Me International Foundation, which helps kids succeed in life — by the book. |
Balancing Career and Caregiving |
| A Makiki resident describes how he pulls off the ultimate juggling act. |
DEPARTMENT:
Letter
from the Editor
The Rewards of Reading Aloud
A
2005 survey showed that 47 percent of local fourth grade public school
students failed to reach the basic proficiency level in reading as
measured and defined by the National Assessment of Educational Progress
(NAEP), placing Hawaii a disappointing 43 out of the 50 states.
It’s a rank that Hawaii’s former first lady Lynne Waihee, president of the Read to Me International Foundation, and her staff of three hope will improve as they fulfill the organization’s mission: to spread the love and joy of reading aloud to children.
According to Read to Me International’s Web site, www.readtomeintl.org, educators, reading specialists and researchers conducted a two-year study in the early 1980s on how people learn to read. Based on their findings, one conclusion stood out in a 1985 report released by the federal Commission on Reading entitled Becoming a Nation of Readers: “The single most important activity for building the knowledge required for eventual success in reading is reading aloud to children.”
“That report,” says Waihee, “confirms our belief that that best way to ensure that we raise a nation of readers is to read aloud to our children.”
From
1992 to 1994, Read to Me International conducted a campaign to raise
awareness of the importance of reading to children and to ensure this
was being done. Says Waihee, “We felt that a children’s
picture book can be read aloud in 10 minutes, often less, and we wanted
parents to feel it was doable. It was hoped that as they read aloud
to their children for 10 minutes each day, they would find it so enjoyable
that the time would naturally be increased.”
Studies have documented the benefits of a consistent reading program. In 2000, NAEP’s national reading assessment of fourth-grade students found that reading for fun had a positive relationship on reading scores. Eighty-seven percent of the students who reported reading for fun on their own time once a month or more performed at the Proficient level, while students who never or hardly ever read for fun performed at the Basic level. Students who read for fun every day scored the highest.
A 2000 Early Childhood Longitudinal Study found that children who were read to at least three times a week by a family member were almost twice as likely to score in the top 25 percent in reading than children who were read to less than three times a week.
You can make a big difference in a child’s life. All it takes is 10 minutes a day.
Aloha,
Cheryl Chee Tsutsumi