A literate population serves as a key driver for economic growth, social development and individual empowerment. Here’s what Georgia and local cities are doing to improve literacy across the state.
The statistics are alarming. Only 38% of Georgia’s third graders are reading proficiently. And more than half of Georgia’s eighth graders are not reading proficiently. Nearly 1 million Georgians have low literacy skills.
These statistics are important because research shows that reading proficiently at a third-grade level is the gateway to student success. Between kindergarten and third grade, students learn to read. Beyond third grade, they transition to reading to learn.
Literacy is critical in ensuring individuals have access to opportunities in education, employment and overall quality of life. Students who don’t read proficiently by the end of third grade are four times more likely to drop out of high school. Georgia adults without a high school diploma are 1.9 times more likely to be unemployed. The poverty rate for high school dropouts is three times more than those who finish high school. (Source: Deloitte study.)
The good news is the state is making comprehensive long-range plans to tackle this problem. In 2023, the state legislature passed SB211, which created the Georgia Council on Literacy (GCL), an organization tasked with making recommendations on improving Georgia’s literacy program. The Council will tackle this by reviewing materials, trends and resources, evaluating best practices, and researching and making recommendations on improving literacy for at-risk students.
“This is a solvable problem,” says Scott Johnson, who was appointed GCL’s first chairman by Governor Brian Kemp. “We are working towards ensuring every child has the same opportunities and advantages to learn to read and to remove any barriers they may have to achieving this.”
Scott Johnson, chair of the Georgia Council on Literacy, speaks to city officials about the Georgia Reads initiative at the GMA District 2 meeting in Helen in 2024.
The 30 members of the GCL were appointed by the Governor, Lieutenant Governor and Speaker of the House and include lawmakers, educators, literacy advocates and agency heads.
“We have representatives from all levels of education to help address these issues,” he says. “It’s not just an elementary school issue. It’s an issue that has to be addressed comprehensively to solve.”
Though he is a businessman by profession, Johnson has been involved in state education for years. In 2012, he was appointed by Governor Nathan Deal to serve on the State Board of Education, which he did until his term ended in 2022.
“Educational policy became a huge interest of mine during my time on the state board,” Johnson says. “Learning about where we are in Georgia and about the great need for progress in literacy for the benefit of our state has made me passionate about this issue.”
So far, the Council has made two recommendations to help schools improve their reading scores: develop a screening tool where children in grades K-3 will be tested on their reading progress three times a year, and introduce literacy coaches that will help teachers with instructional tools.
Getting at It from a Local Level
Literacy is a statewide issue, but it’s also a local issue. It powers economic growth because a literate workforce attracts businesses, drives innovation and boosts local economies. It fosters civic engagement because literate citizens are more likely to vote, volunteer and actively participate in community development.
To engage local communities, GLC introduced “The Georgia Reads Campaign” last June. The campaign aims to raise awareness about the need to improve reading skills at all age levels, encourage activities to increase literacy rates and recognize community partnerships that actively contribute to a more literate Georgia. The Georgia Municipal Association (GMA), its nonprofit, Georgia City Solutions, and the Share the Magic Foundation are partners in the initiative.
The Georgia Reads Campaign was announced during the 2024 GMA Annual Convention.
Aside from its partnership with Georgia Reads, Georgia City Solutions promotes literacy in other ways. In 2022, it introduced the Mayor’s Reading Club, a literacy program in which local mayors read to children in their cities, at libraries, schools and other events. The program has grown to include 108 mayors.
“Making reading a big deal in your community – and prioritizing it – is a good way to move this initiative forward,” Johnson says.
Monroe Mayor John Howard was one of the first mayors to join the program and has taken many steps to promote literacy in his city.
“My job as mayor is to strengthen long-term economic development prospects for our city,” says Howard. “And the best way to do that is to make sure our kids can read.”
Monroe Mayor John Howard hosted a Mayor's Reading Club event at at the Monroe-Walton County Library in 2024.
When he saw the low reading scores at Monroe Elementary School, he decided to take a proactive approach to promote reading – and has partnered with local businesses and organizations to help. He brought the Chick-Fil-A cow to the school and handed out free books and brownies to students (both donated by Chick-Fil-A). He gives out free kids meal coupons (donated by Longhorn Steaks) to all students in the first and second grade classes that had the most improved reading scores. He’s also working with the United Way in a partnership with Dolly Parton’s Imagination Library, hoping to get more books in the hands of Monroe’s youngest citizens.
“We have seen incremental improvements,” he says of Monroe’s efforts. “We can’t solve it in a year. It’s more likely to stick if we continue to improve over generations. The plan is to have productive citizens and in 40 years their kids will become college graduates. If you teach children how to read, you change the whole paradigm.”
Another member of the Mayor’s Reading Club is Baldwin Mayor Stephanie Almagno, who joined the program a year ago and immediately began finding ways to give books to children and families. She established a Little Free Library in a city park and also put a bookshelf in City Hall where parents could take free books for their children. She’s working with community partners like Volunteer for Literacy to get books donated to the city.
“This is not just a Baldwin issue,” says Almagno, who was a college English professor for 30 years before retiring and knows the importance of reading for long-term success. “It benefits children everywhere to be alphabetically literate, to be critical thinkers and critical readers for the rest of their lives, no matter what job they have, no matter if they stay in Northeast Georgia or move on. I think it is incumbent upon us all to help make our children ready for what faces them in their lives.”
She also realizes how important it is for the city. “We want to build a workforce that is ready for new industry and that companies want to hire,” she says. “We want those kids to be employable. All of this is better for society overall.”
Putting a Face on Literacy
Clarkston Mayor Beverly Burks, also a member of the Mayor’s Reading Club, reads to children at community events and the local school. She also created a “Clarkston Mayor’s TOTS Townhall” where, among other activities, she distributes free books. She believes being a role model helps children see the importance of reading.
Clarkston Mayor Beverly Burks reads to students at Indian Creek Elementary School in 2024.
“I am putting a face on literacy to say ‘I believe in you enough to make time in my schedule for you,‘” she says. “Literacy is important because education opens the door for opportunities. If you are able to read at a certain level, it provides you with options. It helps their ability to get a job and gives them financial stability. It empowers our community.”
Aside from the TOTS Town Hall, the city has taken other steps to promote literacy. The Clarkston City Council created an Early Learning Taskforce in 2019 to tackle educational issues and created a “Story Walk” located in a city park where pages of stories posted on boards are spaced out along a trail so families can walk, read and have discussions about what they’ve read.
“Everywhere we can allow literacy to be a part of the fabric in our city,” says Burks, “that’s what we try to make sure we do.”