Our Mission & Vision

Why we started

We have a reading crisis in the United States and it's not due to the pandemic. The National Institute of Health estimates that only 5% of the population lacks the cognitive ability needed for reading. That means 95% of our population should be able to read proficiently with quality instruction. Keep this fact in mind as you read the below statistics.

Over half of U.S. adults can't read proficiently

According to the U.S. Department of Education in 2020, 54% of U.S. adults (an estimated 130 million people) ages 16-74-year-olds are reading BELOW a sixth-grade level.

Only 35% of 4th graders are proficient in reading

According to the National Assessment of Educational Progress (NAEP), only 35% of fourth-graders were proficient in reading in 2019. This number has been decreasing over the years

There is a connection between crime and reading proficiency

2/3 of students who cannot read proficiently by the end of 4th grade will end up in jail or on welfare. Over 70% of America’s inmates cannot read above a 4th-grade level.

Many schools are utilizing ineffective teaching methods & practices

Balanced literacy is the most common approach for reading instruction across the U.S. However, this approach does not work for the majority of the population. If your child is encouraged to guess at unfamiliar words by using the picture, the first letter, or context clues, then they are being taught to read using ineffective and harmful strategies.

Our math scores are also cause for alarm! According to the National Assessment of Education Progress (NAEP), only 41% of 4th graders were meeting math proficiency in 2019. This number only gets worse as we look at the upper grades. In 2019, 34% of 8th graders and a mere 24% of 12th graders were considered proficient in math.

Our mission is to ensure that ALL young scholars have access to research-proven and data-driven instruction so that they can reach their highest potential while growing their confidence, sparking their interest in lifelong learning, and setting them up for future success. We build a strong literacy and mathematics foundation and turn instructional gaps into stepping stones by providing high-quality instruction to students and coaching parents and educators on best practices and methods. Our work positively changes the projection of a child's future.

Inspired by the quote, "Literacy is the single most significant skill needed to function effectively in school, in the workplace, and in society." (- Anonymous) Our vision at The Virtual Classroom is to give young scholars the tools necessary for a better education, career, and quality of life.