In recognition of International Literacy Day on Friday, 9/8/2023, Picture This is proud to present The Right to Read in collaboration with READ/San Diego. Do you have a passion for reading and learning? Are you interested to learn more about the challenges and triumphs of literacy at the national and local levels? Learn about literacy work in San Diego and find out how you can contribute.

The Right to Read

Synopsis

American reading levels have been far below grade-level for decades. In 2022, only one-third of children were reading at proficient levels. When a child doesn’t learn to read, their chances of incarceration, homelessness, and high school dropout increase. That's why Oakland-based NAACP activist Kareem Weaver believes literacy is one of the greatest civil rights issues of our time and is fighting for change.

“What good is winning the right to vote if we can’t even read the ballot?” 

Schools throughout the nation use reading methods known as “whole language” or “balanced literacy.” These methods promote the idea that a child will naturally learn to read overtime and encourage students to rely on context markers like pictures and memorization rather than individual sounds and letters. Unfortunately, they’ve been proven not to work, but are supported by a billion dollar industry that continues to sell ineffective curricula to thousands of educators who likely have not been taught better. 

Kareem knows the solution is simple: teach children how to read using explicit and systematic literacy instruction, often referred to as “structured literacy” or “the science of reading.” We have had the research since 2000, when George Bush called for a National Reading Panel, but people either did not listen or did not hear. 

Fed up with the bleak reading scores in his own community, he files an NAACP petition demanding change in Oakland schools’ reading curricula. Working with Ms. Causey, a first grade teacher in the lowest performing school, the two go against district mandates to bring in evidence-based literacy tools to see if they can turn reading scores around. 

In Virginia Beach, Teresa and her four-year-old daughter Ivy work on early language–a crucial component of literacy–showing how parents can help children get ready to read at home. In Mississippi, the Adams family explores educational technology to help their son learn to read before his third grade exams. Meanwhile, Kareem furthers his cause by calling out publishing companies that he believes have prioritized profits over student success. 

Two years later, the Oakland school board has finally met the top petition demand of implementing a new reading curriculum across the district, and Kareem’s work to mobilize national demand for literacy is taking off. Ms Causey’s students have some of the best scores in Oakland, Teresa’s daughter Ivy is on track to read, and the Adams family have successfully helped their son achieve above grade-level reading scores. All thanks to explicit and direct reading instruction. 

Eighteen out of fifty states now require teacher training in the science of reading. For Kareem, this isn’t nearly enough. There needs to be a widespread shift in how America thinks about teaching reading, from policy makers to teachers to parents. This film is a call for educators, policymakers, parents, and anyone who cares about the future of our nation to join the fight for every child’s right to read.

Production

NR | 71 min. | Documentary | Directed by Jenny Mackenzie | 2023

Picture This features free film screenings every Monday at 6:30 pm in the Central Library's Neil Morgan Auditorium. Check back here, on the library calendar, for the most up-to-date lineup of films.

This program is free and open to the public; no registration is required. Underground parking can be accessed from 11th Ave and is free for 2 hours with validation in the main lobby. The Central Library entrance is also conveniently located along the Blue and Orange trolley lines, between the Park/Market and 12th/Imperial trolley stops.