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Johnny can't write either

Nearly all white-collar jobs, and quite a few others, demand writing skills, and the demand is growing as people in many jobs are expected to be able to dash off e-mails on a moment's notice. But according to the results of a federally sponsored writing test of more than 60,000 fourth-, eighth- and 12th-graders, three-fourths of the nation's students are unable to compose a well-organized, coherent essay.

In West Virginia, only 18 percent of the students tested earned a rating of proficient or better.

There is some correlation in the test results between average incomes and writing ability, but even in relatively wealthy Connecticut, only 44 percent of those tested ranked proficient, and that took first place among the states in the test. Money alone is not the answer, or even an answer to the problem.

Writing suffers when reading patterns suffer. Today's kids spend enormous amounts of time watching television, playing computer games and surfing the Web. And schools have added, in response to political demands, many items to their curriculums that don't fit the old Three R's model. In other words, kids spend precious little time engaged in the studies and activities that will help them to develop strong, verbal skills.

The firstline of offense to improve upon this dismal situation is at home, not at school. Parents need not wait for reading to be assigned by a teacher. They can help their kids to select books to read and encourage reading in the household. One of the best ways to encourage reading is to make good reading materials available and by turning off the alternatives, the TV and the computer.

If parents encourage reading, then it will be much easier for schools to re-emphasize reading in the classroom.