On Thursday from 11:30 a.m. to 1 p.m., the Bryan-College Station Chamber of Commerce and the title sponsor — the Texas A&M Office of the Provost Public Partnership and Outreach — will host the annual Read by 3rd luncheon at the College Station Hilton. For individual and table reservations, please call Kim at the Chamber at 979-260-5200.

Read by 3rd has just completed its third year at Milam and Jones elementary schools in Bryan. Read by 3rd is dedicated to the notion that parents are the most important teachers in a child’s life.

The issues facing our state and nation regarding our economy, education, crime, social conflicts, patriotism, etc., boil down to the family. “It takes a family to raise a child.”

Though the definition of the family has changed over the past several decades, what has not changed is its importance in inspiring and encouraging the children to succeed. Our schools are faced with the reality that children from pre-k to 12th grade are products of what happens at home. Second to parents, schools remain as the best opportunity to transform a child into a scholar, business owner, professional and community leader. We assume parents want their children to be safe, educated, happy, successful and responsible citizens. Given the school’s role and parent’s influence, the Read by 3rd initiative seeks to integrate the school and parents into a collaborative relationship that results in an educated and successful child and family.

Read by 3rd is a volunteer driven program designed to:

• Transform the parents vision of themselves and their children.

• Provide parents with the skill sets and resources to help their children.

The parents commit themselves to agreements that include reading and telling stories to their children, providing a quiet place and time for their children to read, study, engage in educational activities at home and become more mindful of how they communicate with their children;

• Provide access to educational, recreational and community opportunities.

• Create a community of learners.

Over the past half century, there have been many interventions to assist our families to become successful and independent.

Unfortunately, in the attempt to help our families with the assistance of external interventions, we have seen the role of parents minimized and often supplanted by private and public organizations.

Our public schools have been challenged by the lesser role parents play in the education of their children.

Meanwhile, research studies continue to tell us parents remain the most important influence in a child’s education. Annette Lareau in her book Unequal Childhood distinguishes the difference parents make in a child’s academic success. She concludes that it is through the parent’s “concerted cultivation” that children become academically and socially successful.

The research shows parents who are involved in their child’s education at home, school and the community determine the success of the child. Being involved includes reading, telling stories, asking questions and using every opportunity to instruct the child about everything.

Research confirms that children whose parents are involved in “concerted cultivation” have heard 30 million more words by the time they enter kindergarten than children whose parents have not been engaged similarly. The effect is that children with engaged parents are ready to learn to read when they enter kindergarten and can comprehend what they read because of what they have been exposed to.

Further, the Annie E. Casey Foundation’s research has concluded a child who does not read at grade level by third grade has a four times greater chance of dropping out of school.

Given these facts and truths, Read by 3rd was born. Seventy five families have participated in the past three years. Our goal is to expand the program to all families across the Bryan school district. Rebuilding the foundation of the parent-school partnership is vital to the future of our state and nation. Our hope is to reinstitute this basic truth.

The essence of Read by 3rd is to bring back our community’s focus on the parents. Given the fact a child will spend more than 70 percent of his or her time at home; we must focus on the parents. Without the parental piece we are not going to achieve the education standards we are expecting our schools to perform.

Our experience at Read by 3rd proves the parents’ vision determines the priorities in a child’s use of time, resources, conduct and relationships.

Our parents are learning and applying skills on how to inspire, teach and encourage their children. Further, parents’ and their children’s visits with the A&M Corps of Cadets, MSC OPAS, Aggie basketball, the Brazos Valley Museum of Natural History and our state Capitol have given both parents and children access to the opportunities available in the community.

The transformation process has begun and it is crucial that the momentum continue into next year as lessons will be integrated into the program as it expands to include a greater number of families.

The program does not transform living conditions of the family automatically, but once parents change the world view of themselves and their children, they begin to “see” and understand the opportunities available to them.

My belief, which is supported by research and common sense, is that a parent’s vision of success is influenced by the home environment that, in turn, shapes the attitudes and academic achievement of the children.

The truth is, “If you change the way you look at things, the things you look at change.”

Come join us and support the future!

• Daniel Hernandez is a local attorney and former Bryan City Councilman who helped start Read by 3rd.

Source: The Eagle