Only 4% of Memphis City Schools seniors are ready for college, based on scoring at least 19 on the ACT, the college entrance exam taken by district seniors. In other words, of 6,774 seniors, only 271 are college ready. It’s a disturbing statistic that speaks to why closing the achievement gap should be a priority for Memphis and Shelby County.
Believe it or not, preparing a child for school starts the day you bring them home from the hospital. The term “school readiness” has become a hot topic in recent years- creating a flurry of media interest, “how to” guide books, websites, scholarly debates, and academic research. Fortunately, the best things you can do for your child to prepare them for school are also the simplest and most natural.
There was a recent headline in The Commercial Appeal that said, “Fewer two-parent homes in Memphis,” and it reported on a trend that has existed here for more than a decade. The article reported recently-released 2010 U.S. Census information: two out of three children younger than 18 in Memphis are being raised in one-parent families.
