Now that research has shown there is a problem with low literacy rates, a variety of possible solutions exist to rectify this problem.
1) There is need for more organizations like the LVA-NYS (Literacy Volunteers of America in New York State). This group gives training and volunteer hours to over 40 community based literacy groups in this state alone. It employs a workforce of over 7000 volunteers and 407,700 hours of service. Groups like this make it possible to identify a specific problem and allocate an adequate number of resources to make the problem improve. What groups like this do is provide leadership and experience to the smaller communities and school districts experiencing a problem and give them a formula for success that works. (http://lvanys.org/about.html).
2)Additional funding is also a possible solution to the problem. There is always a need for more money, and usually when it gets tight, libraries have a tendency to get cut back on. The availability of interesting books is what drives the kids to read. When we brought our new books to PS 31's library the kids loved the new selection asking if they can read them now before they were even checked in. They started to fight over who would read the The Hulk, or X-Men . They might not be a book of higher learning, but they will still improve a child's literacy skills since they are of a middle reader level. The more we can entice students to read, the better.
