Even in Lake Woebegon, kids can't read

After musing on religion, pride, and the vagaries of old age, radio host Garrison Keillor continues:

... And then there is the grief that old righteous people inflict on the young, such as our public schools. I'm looking at U.S. Department of Education statistics on reading achievement and see that here in Minnesota—proud, progressive Minnesota—on a 500-point test (average score: 225), 27% of 4th graders score below basic proficiency, and black and Hispanic kids score 30-some points lower than whites on average, and the 30%of public school kids who come from households in poverty (who qualify for reduced-price school lunches) score 27 points lower than those who don’t come from poverty.

Reading is the key to everything. Teaching children to read is a fundamental moral obligation of the society. That 27% are at serious risk of crippling illiteracy is an outrageous scandal. Read more of Keillor's opinions on phonics and Reading First in The Chicago Tribune online.