ENROLLED
2021 Regular Session
HOUSE RESOLUTION NO. 71
BY REPRESENTATIVE JAMES
A RESOLUTION
To recognize Thursday, May 6, 2021, as Literacy Day at the state capitol.
WHEREAS, 74% of Louisiana's fourth grade students do not read proficiently, and
dyslexia is a specific learning disability that affects as many as one in five people; and
WHEREAS, students who do not read proficiently by the end of the third grade are
four times more likely to drop out of school, and those who have not mastered at least a
basic level of reading proficiency are nearly six times as likely to leave school without
earning a diploma; and
WHEREAS, Louisiana spends more than $270 million annually to remediate students
who read below grade level, thus making reading an activity that has both educational and
economic significance; and
WHEREAS, the Center for Development and Learning was founded in 1992 to
develop and disseminate leading-edge scientific research, knowledge, and best practices that
improve teaching and increase student learning; and
WHEREAS, the Center for Development and Learning focuses on closing the
achievement gap by increasing teacher effectiveness and advancing public education reform
and by providing educators who teach our most at-risk children with professional learning
that is specific and targeted to their needs; and
WHEREAS, with an in-the-trenches approach, the Center for Development and
Learning tackles real-world issues in an effective way by searching for ways to remediate
struggling readers, differentiate instruction for diverse learners, and build and sustain
collective capacity; and
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WHEREAS, the Louisiana Department of Education has emphasized the importance
of improving Louisiana's literacy rates, and has launched a new initiative to spark a reading
revival across the state by providing tools for system leaders, classroom teachers, and family
members to support children on their journey to literacy; and
WHEREAS, improving the literacy rates in Louisiana is necessary to increase a
student's success in all areas of his education.
THEREFORE, BE IT RESOLVED that the House of Representatives of the
Legislature of Louisiana does hereby recognize Thursday, May 6, 2021, as Literacy Day at
the state capitol and does hereby commend and thank the Center for Development and
Learning for its dedication to improving reading proficiency in all of Louisiana's students.
SPEAKER OF THE HOUSE OF REPRESENTATIVES
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