Promoting Reading ...
I Will Miss The Initiative
For the last seven years the Governor’s First Grade Reading Initiative provided free books for every first grader in New Mexico public schools. Not without problems, but this program gave a book to kids who may not have had the access to books in hopes that it got them started. The kids also took the books home and it may have helped family members to love and read books too.
The problems could have been solved: only public school kids got a book – not private or charter school kids, although New Mexico is proclaimed to be a “buy local” state no local publishers got the bulk of the books even though they were as good or lowest in price, and the authors of any bought books were never involved with students getting books though New Mexico author and illustrators said they were game.
In this week before America Reads Day – do New Mexicans read? I am not sure they do. Frankly ALL students should get a New Mexico book to read!
Barbe Awalt