Over the next few months, voters across the country will hear campaign platform planks discussing reading, literacy and anything related to improving the way American children learn how to communicate.

Friday, August 11, 2000

Over the next few months, voters across the country will hear campaign platform planks discussing reading, literacy and anything related to improving the way American children learn how to communicate.

From Ohio Gov. Bob Taft to presidential candidates Gore and Bush, money for improving reading skills and specific programs to help children achieve those goals are going to be near the top of any public appearance or stump speech.

And while there are plenty more issues to worry about in America, this is definitely one that deserves the attention.

Why? Because American children – and adults – really are losing some of their reading skills or not developing them at all.

Anything other than subsistence reading is not required anymore to survive today. Once you make it through school – and sometimes not even then – technology is the lure, keeping some people away from advanced education of any kind that does not include cursors and search engines.

As the world becomes more technologically focused, the finer skills are lost, leaving companies scrambling to find workers who can not only read, but who can communicate effectively to someone other than a computer.

Reading is also freedom. Mastering this skill can be the ticket out of poverty for a young person.

Teach children technical skills. Those will be vital to their future, too. But make sure they can leave school able to form a coherent sentence. That is a gift they will use throughout their lives.