Your editorial of May 16 (“Our View: Help Maine’s ‘disconnected youth’ realize their potential”) and Joseph W. McDonnell’s Maine Compass of May 17 (“Maine’s workforce challenges call for bold public strategies”) point out a huge labor shortage problem. Suggested action will not make the desired change without addressing the inability of thousands of Maine’s young adults to take advantage of the opportunities suggested.

Without addressing why many young people fail to complete community college programs and other academic options, Maine will not achieve the desired result. Focusing on the end of the funnel (of education) continues ineffective long-term investment strategies in education.

We are the only industrialized country that invests more in the last four years of public education than the first four years. Improving standards (such as “Common Core”) will not address the deficits thousands of students carry beyond third grade. To be the successful student who will achieve the skills, abilities and attitudes necessary to a skilled and flexible worker, they must to be able to read; 67 percent of our fourth-graders don’t read proficiently.

As these students get passed from grade to grade without this most basic skill, it is no surprise that they leave high school without the expected skills and knowledge. What is surprising is that we continue the same practices and public policy decisions without serious reflection.

We cannot allow thousands of children to enter school with serious deficits and unprepared to learn. The best available scientific analysis suggests that ages 0 to 8 are critical to future success. Why then, do we not invest as the evidence suggests, when investment returns $7 for every dollar invested?

Remediation is not nearly as effective as prevention, has limited success and is more expensive.

Dean Crocker

Manchester, Maine and Estero, Florida

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