September/October 2025

Commentary A School Board Member’s Insights

By Brenda Warren

Low literacy profoundly impacts the health and well-being of children and the adults they will become. It was that understanding that motivated me as a new school board member in 2004 to do whatever I could to improve how we taught reading in our district. What surprised me most was that there did not seem to be a sense of urgency concerning our unaccept­able reading data. As a pediatrician, I was accustomed to the sense of urgency one experiences in an emergency room when a patient with a dire situation rolls in. Every­one has a critical role to play and works urgently, systematically, and calmly to diagnose the condition and care for the patient. Why can’t we do that with reading difficulties?

Read the full original commentary in the Reading Leage Journal.