Nevada is ranked as one of lowest states when it comes to education, but state leaders say they are working to change that.
Governor Joe Lombardo and Nevada State Superintendent Dr. Victor Wakfield visited several classrooms at Alice Smith Elementary to impress upon students that reading is vital to their education.
"Why do we read? It's the basis of learning," said Governor Lombardo to a third-grade class. "The most important thing you can do in education is you come to school to learn how to read. Okay? That way you're never behind in life."
Dr. Wakefield spoke about the how becoming proficient in reading will help students later in life as well.
"Early literacy is one of our priorities. It's so important that our, our young people are learning to read. So that way they can be successful in school and in life," he said. "Reading, successfully at a young age correlates with things like graduation, lifetime earnings actually health outcomes."
As a state, Nevada has struggled academically, typically ranked between 45th and 50th compared to the rest of the nation. Dr. Wakefield says this is one way to make progress.
"At the state level, we think about policy and resourcing, but it truly comes down to that instruction happening in the classrooms and that partnership with parents and families, with their child's education and their school and their teacher," said Dr. Wakefield.
In order to be successful, the Nevada Department of Education needs the continued support of our state leaders. Dr. Wakefield says he sees a bipartisan commitment to education through legislation that has been passed. His office is working to further that support by making it a priority to expand high quality pre-K seats across the state and insuring strong curriculum and intervention standards.
