CHARLOTTE, N.C. — For some children, a book is a dream you hold in your hands.
"One of my favorite books is 'Scary Stories for Young Foxes,'" said a sixth grader to WCNC Charlotte.
"I love to read 'Cinderella,'" said a kindergartener.
It's an interactive skill educators on both the local and state levels are encouraging more students to do, with many of them struggling to read at or above grade level.
"I teach on the sixth-grade level but honestly, a lot of them are on a second or third-grade level," said Kendal Edwards, a teacher. "Some kids don’t even know to read left to right."
While national data highlights the gap in early literacy, in North Carolina numbers are improving.
The Department of Public Instruction says the millions of dollars it invested into closing the gap are starting to pay off.
"We have watched our early literacy data slowly creep up, and then eventually outpace the rest of the nation," said Catherine Truitt, the North Carolina Superintendent of Public Instruction.
The national average number of first through third graders meeting standards is about 50% to 53%. Across all North Carolina schools that number has grown slightly better sitting at 52% to 54%, up from 38% to 45% two years prior.
"The training absolutely has everything to do with this growth," said Truitt "Our 180 hour LETRS Training was grounded in the science of reading, or a phonics-based approach to early literacy instruction."
The DPI says while the progress is promising, there’s still lots of work left to be done. They’re now working to get kindergarteners who are still below the national average caught up to speed and get more teachers in middle schools trained to make an even bigger impact.
"We do need to make sure teachers that know how to close those gaps in our middle grades so we will be asking for professional development for all core teachers in grades six through eight," Truitt said.
The DPI said it's also working ahead to improve the lagging scores for math k-8 and is hoping to get more funding approved next spring.
Contact Tradesha Woodard at twoodard1@wcnc.com and follow her on Facebook, X and Instagram.