March 2 would have been the 104th birthday of the legendary Dr. Seuss. In honor of that occasion, today we celebrate Read Across America Day, with thousands of National Education Association members working together to ensure our students embrace the excitement of reading.

But it’s not just about cats in hats or green eggs and ham. Ensuring our students experience the thrill and enjoyment of reading is essential for them to understand the importance reading plays in their life.

Reading is one of the most critical skills children learn. It sparks their imaginations and forms the foundation for success in school and beyond. Without strong reading skills, students aren’t able to meet high academic standards – or get jobs in our new economy.

Despite the clear evidence of reading’s importance, there are some disturbing trends. According to a recent study by the National Endowment for the Arts:

* Less than one-third of 13-year-olds are daily readers, a 14 percent decline from 20 years ago. On average, Americans ages 15 to 24 spend almost two hours a day watching TV, and only seven minutes of their daily leisure time on reading.

* While the average reading score of 9-year-olds has improved since the early 1990s, reading scores for 12th-graders dropped, with only about 35 percent now reading at or above proficiency level.

* Nearly two-thirds of employers ranked reading comprehension "very important" for high school graduates. Yet 38 percent consider most high school graduates deficient in this basic skill.

For education to succeed in helping our economy recover, we have to ensure students get a strong foundation of reading skills. Nothing is more important to that effort than having parents who make reading a priority at home for children of all ages. If we all work together to instill a love and a skill for reading in our children, "Oh, the Places They’ll Go!"

For helpful reading resources and information, visit www.mea.org/reading.