Last month I attended the Central Oklahoma Parents Legislative Action Committee (PLAC) open meeting, which featured a panel with state senators Clark Jolley and Susan Paddock and state representatives Scott Inman and Scott Martin. While I know entire essays could be devoted to one political issue at a time, my general take away at this critical juncture in education is that we must act.

As the third-grade reading law takes effect this school year, I have been contacted by a number of parents and teachers worried about the possibility that their child or pupil might be retained.

The question often posed to me is: How can we consider holding back a child from moving on to the next grade?

The question I pose to them is: How can we consider promoting a child who can’t read?