It’ll take a community effort to get Wake students back on track. Here’s the plan.

When students can read by the end of third grade, there’s a strong likelihood they will graduate from high school nine years later. In grades K-3, we learn to read. After grade 3, we read to learn.

The News & Observer has done good work in reporting on how COVID disrupted K-12 education in our state (“NC students fell behind during the pandemic,” May 31).

The grim reality is that, after two years of disruption brought on by the pandemic, most of our student population here in Wake County is behind.

Today, our youngest learners are not reading at grade level. One recent study estimates all students are at least two to 15 months behind grade level in reading and math.

If we fail to get our elementary students back on grade level, thousands of these students will never graduate from high school and are likely to struggle to find work for the rest of their lives. We all have a stake in getting these students back on track–and we all can be a part of doing that.

We know the challenges school systems face: exhausted administrators, staff and teachers; staffing challenges; bus driver shortages; shifting health mandates; student mental health issues, and more.

Schools are doing the best they can, and we should thank our educators. But the strain of the last two years on our youngest students, the interrupted learning that occurred and the pandemic’s disruption of education demand new partnerships and innovative approaches.

One of the best ways to recover from the interrupted learning is high-dosage tutoring.

Across our state, we have 1.4 million students, with more than 158,000 of them here in Wake County. The commitment of the Wake County Public School System (WCPSS) to our children’s education is unmatched. And yet, in the wake of the pandemic, teachers alone will not be able to help students close the gap.

Our educators need our help. Getting our students on a path to success will take an “all hands on deck” approach from all sectors of our community – businesses, nonprofits, faith-based groups, community-based organizations and individuals.

At the Wake County School Board Meeting on Tuesday, assistant superintendent Drew Cook and Kim Keith, vice president of the YMCA of the Triangle, presented a plan for high-dosage tutoring of Wake County students.

Building on the 30 years of collaboration between WCPSS and the YMCA, this new partnership will use after-school programs to deliver high-dosage tutoring programs.

The YMCA currently runs about 80 after-school programs across Wake County. The Y and WCPSS will screen, hire and train site coordinators/staff, mobilize volunteer tutors, manage transportation, collect student data and support other student needs.

The initial focus of the high-dosage tutoring will be on elementary reading. WAKE UP and Read, a community coalition made up of more than 30 committed organizations, and other nonprofits will work alongside the Y and WCPSS.

You can help. Visit here to sign up for information in the next few months.

To our students and educators, your community stands with you. We know it will not be easy. But we also know what is at stake.

To our community leaders, businesses, retired educators, faith leaders, elected officials, and all members of our community: We ask you to be a part of this important work. Our students need all hands on deck.