"Wear the old coat and buy the new book." — Austin Phelps, 19th Century Minister and Educator

Since our youngest daughter began school this year, my wife has used some of her newly found free time tutoring students in reading at two of our local public elementary schools. The experience thus far has been enriching, but sadly also enlightening in a cynical way.

For my wife, helping children learn to read has been enlightening for the all of the reasons you might expect; seeing the smiles on children's faces when they've actually read something on their own, helping a child feel that sense of accomplishment, and the introspective joy of knowing you've had a positive impact on a young person's life.

The downside of this experience is that we've learned the school system is in desperate need of volunteer reading tutors because children are falling behind and not reading at the appropriate grade level. One of the primary reasons is that kids are not being read to at home. Please know that I am not trying to generalize and paint with a broad brush. I understand that every home situation is unique; and the lack of reading time occurs for a variety of reasons, often involving factors beyond the children's and parents' control.

But when there are capable parents or guardians in the home and I hear that a child is not being read to, my blood boils. Combine that with the announcement that the new PlayStation 4 and the Xbox One video game consoles were released, each selling 1 million units on the first day, and my blood goes nuclear. I'm not trying to cite cause and effect, but according to the Entertainment Software Association, 68 percent of people who play video games in some form or fashion are over the age of 18.

I don't begrudge anyone for needing a recreational respite from reality, but not to the detriment of reading to a child or, for that matter, having a child read to you. Surely reading with your kids brings you more satisfaction than splattering the brains of some imaginary combatant in a pallid video game.

Many might ask, "what's the big deal, don't we need blue-collar workers too?" That's true, but here are some startling statistics.

According to the U.S. Department of Education and the National Institute of Literacy:

— 14 percent of adults, or 32 million, cannot read.

— It is estimated that two-thirds of students who cannot read proficiently by the end of fourth grade will end up in jail or on welfare.

— Over 70 percent of America's inmates can't read above a fourth grade level.

This shouldn't be a partisan issue, but thanks to the ever-increasing liberal agenda in our public schools, we have eliminated God, watered down standards and discouraged academic excellence and competition all in the name of fairness and political correctness.

In typical liberal Washington fashion, the solution has been to throw more borrowed money at the problem. We already spend almost $13,000 per student nationally; this money needs to be reprioritized. Forget about the social engineering in schools and get back to the three R's.

Ronald Reagan gave an excellent description of what the goal of education should be when he said, "education is not the means of showing people how to get what they want. Education is an exercise by means of which enough men, it is hoped, will learn to want what is worth having."

If we can improve the literacy rate, little Johnny and Susie can socially engineer themselves. With this in mind, I urge you to call your local school district, and volunteer.

Dear Mark is a public platform for your enrichment and entertainment. E-mail your questions to [email protected]. To find out more about Mark Levy, and read features by other Creators Syndicate writers and cartoonists, visit www.creators.com.