A quick search yielded this, from
http://www.childrenofthecode.org/interviews/whitehurst.htm#PrisonCellsandReadingScores
- that page includes a link to Lesley Morrow's page, so I suppose an enterprising
soul could ask her from whence she got her statement.
Prison Cells and Reading Scores:
David Boulton: We were interviewing Lesley Morrow, the Past-President of the
International Reading Association, and she made a statement which flabbergasted me.
She said this was a fact: that there are some states that determine how many prison
cells to build based on reading scores.
Dr. Grover (Russ) Whitehurst: Yes. Again, the predictability of reading for life
success is so strong, that if you look at the proportion of middle schoolers who
are not at the basic level, who are really behind in reading, it is a very strong
predictor of problems with the law and the need for jails down the line.
Literacy for societies, literacy for states, literacy for individuals is a powerful
determinate of success. The opposite of success is failure and clearly, being in
jail is a sign of failure.
People who don’t read well have trouble earning a living. It becomes attractive to,
in some cases the only alternative in terms of gaining funds, to violate the law
and steal, to do things that get you in trouble. Few options in some cases other
than to pursue that life. Of course reading opens doors.
Susan Jones
Academic Development Specialist
Academic Development Center
Parkland College
Champaign, IL 61821
sujones@parkland.edu
Webmastress,
http://www.resourceroom.net
>>> Debbie Dougharty <dougharty1@HOTMAIL.COM> 09/28/06 12:45 PM >>>
I have heard this story as well. I don't know if this is based on fact or
is one of those "urban myth" type things that gets told so often it is
accepted as fact. I have read that prison populations tend to have a lot of
people who were not successful in school for a variety of reasons; you know,
if you can't succeed at being good, you will succeed at being bad. We all
crave success of some sort.
Hopefully, someone out there knows if this is based on valid data.
Debbie Dougharty
Librarian
First Colony Middle School
dougharty1@hotmail.com
Debbie.Dougharty@fortbend.k12.tx.us
"Whatever the cost of our libraries, the price is cheap compared to that of
an ignorant nation." Walter Cronkite
>From: Diane Averett <daverett@KERRVANCE.COM>
>Reply-To: daverett@kerrvance.com
>To: LM_NET@LISTSERV.SYR.EDU
>Subject: GEN: Test Scores and Prison Cells
>Date: Thu, 28 Sep 2006 12:07:53 -0400
>
>Hello,
>
>A parent visiting our book fair this morning asked me an unusual question
>and I'll pass it along to you. This parent was at a church gathering
>recently where a local public school principal (I'm at an independent
>school) was soliciting volunteers to read with young students. This
>principal told the group that in some states the end of year reading scores
>for second graders were used to predict the number of jail cells that will
>be needed in the future. Supposedly if students aren't reading at the end
>of second grade they're much more likely to wind up in jail.
>
>This parent wanted to know if this is true? Can anyone provide info?
>
>Thanks for sharing your wisdom!
>
>--
>Diane Averett/Librarian
>Kerr-Vance Academy
>700 Vance Academy Rd.
>Henderson, NC 27537
>daverett@kerrvance.com
>--
>
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