MC3 Home Who We Are / Membership 2001 Report Card Report Card PDF ... Briefing Paper Overview Briefing Papers: Health Safety Early Child Care and Development Status of Teens ... Links 200 Westside Square Suite 700 Huntsville, AL 35801 Phone (256) 533-0531, Ext. 231 Fax (256) 534-6883 Email Us Report Card: Education Education is a constant subject for discussion in Alabama. MC3 sought to identify specific areas within education that have potential long-term impact on children and families. Although Madison County's composite achievement score rates are above the national average, the drop out rate and the graduation rate need to be improved, showing that we have a large and identifiable group of children who are not being reached. PTA membership and literacy levels are indications of parental involvement which is key to children's success. Although we are above the state trend in both areas, again we can do much better. (Please note that some schools have PTOs rather than PTAs and these are not included in the statistics.) The National Survey of American Families (Urban Institute, www.urban.org) showed that in Alabama, "18% of all children ages 1 to 5 were read to or told stories fewer than three days a week," according to Linda Tilly, Executive Director of VOICES for Alabama's Children. "Children in low income families were almost twice as likely as other children to fall into this risk category. Child development specialists have long noted that reading books to children or telling stories triggers their imagination and sharpens their literacy skills." | |
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