High Point Community Foundation program seeks to improve student literacy
Illiteracy is a national problem that touches communities in the Piedmont Triad. It's been an ongoing issue in High Point for decades. When most adults worked in furniture or textiles, they didn't have to be able to read well to do their jobs, but times have changed, and while House Bill 342 moves through the legislative process, the High Point Community Foundation is working hand-in-hand with Guilford County Schools to help the next generation of workers change too.
'About two years ago, one of my chairmen challenged me to come up with an initiative that could change our city. The entire city.'
After several months of research, Paul Lessard realized students in Guilford County Schools needed extra help today to be ready for tomorrow, and as President of the High Point Community Foundation, he could help make it happen through the .
'Ultimately, what I realized was, if you take any of the social problems we have in High Point, and any economic problems, if you dig deep enough you will find that it's education, and specifically literacy.'
Lessard says public schools do a wonderful job, but they're never given enough money. He says it'll take the business sector, the private sector, and the philanthropic sector to underwrite programs that help the schools produce future workers with literacy skills to be successful in high-tech jobs.
'What we realized early on is it's not an issue of not knowing how to do it, it was an issue of manpower and money.''
Through the Students First Initiative, the High Point Community Foundation is helping fund what's called . The former Chief of Staff for Guilford County Schools, Jose Oliva, explains 'high-dosage tutoring happens with high frequency, so two to six hours per week, these are not tutors who tutor a group of students, this is either in a small setting, one to one, or one to two, and the tutors are trained with our core curriculum.'
Federal funds paid for the tutoring during the COVID pandemic, but that money's running out. Now, the Students First Initiative will start by funding high-dosage tutoring at four High Point Elementary Schools with plans to expand. Lessard says, 'we're going to draw a line in the sand and say no kid in High Point is going to get past third grade without reading at grade level. If we can do that successfully, imagine what the ripple effect will be.'
Lessard says the time and money invested in children today will create a stronger workforce in the years ahead and benefit everyone in High Point. 'When we talk about this being the right moral and ethical thing to do, it's also the right economic development thing to do. We can either pay now or pay a lot more later.'
Last week, the High Point Community Foundation donated $400,000 to boost high-dosage tutoring. NC House Bill 342 would allocate $5 million dollars to support the program. It passed the first reading and has been referred to the Committee on Appropriations.
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