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The Connection Between Social Emotional Progress and Reading

We have always understood and prioritized the importance of Reading and Math in academic achievement and school success.  As such, we have stressed the importance of these skills in our curriculum, especially at the early grades where foundational skills are developed. Reading, in particular, is the avenue in which all students access content throughout their educational career and lifetime. However, recent research strongly indicates that HOPE is an equally essential element to school success. Believing in oneself is a powerful indicator of learning. When students feel a sense of belonging, understand expectations, engage actively, and feel hopeful about their future their success trajectory is significantly increased.  These pillars and the development of a growth mindset and self-efficacy among our learners are fundamental to our focus on personalized learning in Marysville Schools.


When approaching a personalized education experience, there is a delicate balance between academic skills and social emotional skills, as they are interdependent. However, reading continues to be the most influential indicator of future success both in positive or negative ways. Often times struggling readers articulate a disconnectedness, an overall lack of engagement in school, and a negative outlook on the future.  Knowing this makes early literacy and research based interventions for every student paramount, not only for academics, but more importantly for social emotional growth and stability.  


Supporting the whole child requires us to know students beyond academics and test scores.  We must understand their passions and tap into their talents, while simultaneously coupling that with their academic aptitudes and abilities in order for each child to grow and develop as a future ready learner.