Gifted Students Seek to Improve Literacy Rates in San Angelo

The San Angelo City Council learned today about San Angelo’s shocking illiteracy rates when two students in the gifted and talented program at Santa Rita Elementary addressed the future of American education.

Emily Houston and Frankie Coleman mentioned that San Angelo has a 15 percent illiteracy rate, and the downside that has on the city's education.

“The learning process starts with modern language,” Coleman said. "[We] need to be able to communicate and talk before [we] can learn to read or write."

She said by talking to a children at an early age, it helps boost the process of communicating and the gradual process in teaching them how read and write.

“One major reason for this problem is some don’t receive the education necessary to read and write proficiently,” Houston said. "This means they might not understand the material, or have the available resources to attend school.”

The students acknowledged during the discussion that television shows and video games can cause problems when watched or played excessively at a young age.

“Some shows are educational and teach children as they watch them,” Coleman explained. “But the majority of them are not educational."

By monitoring the time that children watch television, parents can help students in their education by encouraging them to practice reading and writing. Houston mentioned earlier, however, that some children don’t have the resources available to attend school, or practice reading and writing at home.

The students provided a solution of overcoming that road block. 

They suggested fixing the literacy rate in San Angelo by hosting a book drive at their school. By donating books, Houston and Coleman were able to give books to 5th grade students at Santa Rita. By providing the book drive, 5th graders at Santa Rita Elementary were provided the resources to succeed in their education.

“Fifteen percent of fourth graders read no less than four words per minute with the average reading level being 40 words per minute,” Coleman said.

In their conclusion, Coleman explained the illiteracy rates could get worse if children don’t receive the appropriate exposure to reading and writing.

Both Houston and Coleman’s presentation showed what they have learned so far in their own education, and they believe they can help produce the same standard.