Volunteer Engagement 2.0

Chapter 22National Service for the Twenty-First Century

Wendy Spencer

Chief Executive Officer, Corporation for National and Community Service

Magnificent. Discovery. Matinee. Scolded. Hypnotist. Reading alone, a young child can easily struggle with such words. If the student does not comprehend even a few words in a paragraph or passage, all important clues, to context and meaning, will be missed. Before long, frustration sets in and reading can become, at best, a chore to be endured and, at worst, an obstacle to be avoided altogether. And the costs—both to the student and to her community—can be immense. Research shows that students who do not read on grade level by the end of the third grade are four times more likely to drop out of high ...