54% of adults in America have less than a 6th grade level of literacy.
Low levels of literacy cost the US up to 2.2 trillion per year.
Many students have foundational reading & writing needs. Since national testing began, over 60% of our nation’s students have scored below proficient in reading.
Children who are not reading proficiently by the end of third grade are four times more likely to drop out or fail to graduate from high school. For poor black and Hispanic students, that likelihood doubles.
Addressing the Literacy Gap
Current Crisis
Many students lack confidence and skills when it comes to reading and writing. It could be the challenge of learning English as a second language, financial and housing instability, or a lack of one-on-one attention during the school day.
There’s no question that reading and writing are fundamental for academic success. But not being able to read, write, or comprehend can affect how a student learns and negatively impact other aspects of the student's life.
Failing to prioritize literacy skills – especially in early developmental years – creates challenges that extend far beyond the classroom.
The Current Crisis
Over the course of a few weeks in 2020, schools closed across the country and the world. According to the UN, schools shut down in-person learning for 90 percent of the world's students.
National academic test scores fell to the lowest levels in decades. A Stanford Graduate School of Education study found that “student development of oral reading fluency – the ability to quickly and accurately read aloud – largely stopped in spring 2020 after the abrupt school closures due to COVID-19.”
Students, especially economically challenged Latino and Black kids, almost instantly fell behind. Not surprisingly, the kids with no computers or lousy connectivity were hardest it. An inequality referred to as the broadband/digital divide.
In general, since the global COVID pandemic, literacy levels have been affected dramatically – especially with students in early grades.
Literacy can change everything
Health. Gender equality. Poverty. Every important social issue is impacted by low literacy. When individuals learn how to read and write, they have the power to lift themselves out of poverty, to lower health care costs, to find and keep sustainable employment, and ultimately change their lives. Did you know 73% of employers favor employees who have strong writing skills?
Literacy has the power to change lives and break the cycle of disadvantage. Literacy can make for great leaps in learning. It can also inspire imagination & creativity. It can change everything.
An Innovative, New Business Model
The way that people buy and read books is changing, and the way that bookstores run their business must change, too.
Kepler’s Books in Menlo Park, California pioneered a new hybrid bookstore business model which creates a next-generation community bookstore. The successful model combines a for-profit business with a non-profit organization ensuring that an independent community bookstore can be sustainable. Stanford Business School has even done a case study on this new business model.
Sausalito Books by the Bay must also continuously innovate in order to survive. With Literacy by the Bay, we are reinventing our community bookstore so that it can be a more sustainable cultural institution which also promotes literacy, critical thinking and cultural exchange.
Our vision combines a non-profit organization dedicated to literacy -- young reader programs, partnerships with schools & libraries, book fairs, author events, and community forums -- with a locally owned & operated, independent bookstore that preserves the physical space where literacy is celebrated; where people browse, discover, read & enjoy books.
“We hope to be a catalyst for literacy at every level, which includes reading and writing fluency, as well as providing a forum for conversation & exploring new perspectives, inspiring community through literature, the arts, and culture.” Cheryl Popp
“There are many little ways to enlarge your child’s world. Love of books is the best of all.”