How Reading Rainbow is closing the reading gap for the digital generation

Public-private partnerships are expanding Reading Rainbow’s impact for a new generation

No doubt the definition of literacy is evolving in the 21st Century. Not only do we want our children to be fluent readers but we also need them to be able to think critically about the information they receive and communicate their thoughts, ideas and opinions in an effective form. This is no easy task considering the reading gap continues to widen between lower and higher income students and the majority of our children do not read past a fourth grade reading level.

There are many innovative reading programs being implemented across this country. Interestingly, a number of these programs are being developed not by traditional educational publishers, but rather by ed-tech startups and/or new partnerships between public and private institutions.

I learned early on in my career that the power of public private partnerships can be incredible when used for social good. I believe we can narrow the reading gap by extending literacy programs outside the four walls of the classroom and moving away from standard teaching tools. It was one of the main reasons that I joined Reading Rainbow as the host and producer more than 30 years ago.…Read More