• demonstrate mastery of the skills necessary to succeed in their future workplace
• be able to access, evaluate, and synthesize information
• use critical and creative written, spoken, and visual communication forms
• enjoy and appreciate the craft of language expression

• develop their own knowledge and potential
• give form and substance to their thoughts
• understand themselves and others
• interact effectively with others
• deliver quality work and effectively participate in local, state, national, and world communities

Why Can't I Skip My 20 Minutes of Reading Tonight?

Student "A" reads 20 minutes each day which equals 3600 minutes in a school year.  This allows the student to read 1,800,00 words.  Students who read this often usually have reading achievement skills in the 90th percentile.  

Student "B" reads 5 minutes each day which equals 900 minutes in a school year.  This allows the student to read 282,000 words.  Students who read this often usually have reading achievement skills in the 50th percentile.  

Student "C" reads 1 minute each day which equals 180 minutes in a school year.  This allows the student to read 8000 words.  Students who read this often usually have reading achievement skills in the 10th percentile.

By the end of sixth grade student "A" will have read the equivalent of 60 school days. Student "B" will have read only 12 school days.  Which student would you expect to have a better vocabulary?  Which student would you expect to be more successful in school...and life? (Nagey & Herman, 1987)