Austin Startup Tackles Literacy Rights for Under-Served Communities
An Austin, TX start-up wants to make literacy free.
Austin, TX, January 24, 2019 --(PR.com)-- Starcrossers LLC is endeavoring to make literacy free.
This effort comes despite a recent US district court judge’s ruling that literacy “cannot be defined as a fundamental right.” The controversial ruling was issued after Detroit students sued for the right to learn from their schools - and lost.
“Not only is literacy a right,” declares Mary Wilkins, the company’s founder. “It’s a necessity. Educated people take the ability to read for granted, but it’s a commodity. According to proliteracy.org, 36 million US adults can’t read. In 2017, the NCES said 32% of 4th graders are below basic reading levels, and 31% are at basic (partial mastery). These kids are already at high risk of problems down the road.”
“This isn’t just an education issue,” Wilkins continues. “It’s a social justice issue. Illiteracy is an unsung injustice in our society. There’s an undeniable link between illiteracy and poverty. People who can’t read well rarely get decent-paying jobs. They deserve the opportunity to build a better life.”
Starcrossers LLC plans to make a free, effective online reading-improvement game. Moreover, the company claims to have found the secret sauce to teaching reading skills. “We combine methodology with gamification,” Wilkins explain. “The methodology has been proven to raise reading skills in a short amount of time, and we’ll do our best to keep it fun.”
The game will benefit both English speakers looking to improve their reading skills and people looking to learn English as a second language.
“We can make a difference,” Wilkins asserts. “One person who learns to read better might later invent a way to de-pollute the Earth, or cure a disease, or anything. There are millions of brilliant minds out there that just need to be cultivated.”
To make the Starcrossers game a reality, the startup must raise the $250K required for development. “It seems like a lot of money,” Wilkins concedes. “But illiteracy costs the US economy billions every year. We can reduce that figure with just a quarter million.”
More information about Starcrossers LLC and its mission are available at http://starcrossers.com/. The Starcrossers kickstarter page is at https://www.kickstarter.com/projects/1712886456/starcrossers?ref=project_build
This effort comes despite a recent US district court judge’s ruling that literacy “cannot be defined as a fundamental right.” The controversial ruling was issued after Detroit students sued for the right to learn from their schools - and lost.
“Not only is literacy a right,” declares Mary Wilkins, the company’s founder. “It’s a necessity. Educated people take the ability to read for granted, but it’s a commodity. According to proliteracy.org, 36 million US adults can’t read. In 2017, the NCES said 32% of 4th graders are below basic reading levels, and 31% are at basic (partial mastery). These kids are already at high risk of problems down the road.”
“This isn’t just an education issue,” Wilkins continues. “It’s a social justice issue. Illiteracy is an unsung injustice in our society. There’s an undeniable link between illiteracy and poverty. People who can’t read well rarely get decent-paying jobs. They deserve the opportunity to build a better life.”
Starcrossers LLC plans to make a free, effective online reading-improvement game. Moreover, the company claims to have found the secret sauce to teaching reading skills. “We combine methodology with gamification,” Wilkins explain. “The methodology has been proven to raise reading skills in a short amount of time, and we’ll do our best to keep it fun.”
The game will benefit both English speakers looking to improve their reading skills and people looking to learn English as a second language.
“We can make a difference,” Wilkins asserts. “One person who learns to read better might later invent a way to de-pollute the Earth, or cure a disease, or anything. There are millions of brilliant minds out there that just need to be cultivated.”
To make the Starcrossers game a reality, the startup must raise the $250K required for development. “It seems like a lot of money,” Wilkins concedes. “But illiteracy costs the US economy billions every year. We can reduce that figure with just a quarter million.”
More information about Starcrossers LLC and its mission are available at http://starcrossers.com/. The Starcrossers kickstarter page is at https://www.kickstarter.com/projects/1712886456/starcrossers?ref=project_build
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Starcrossers LLC
Mary Wilkins
765-414-4606
starcrossers.com
Mary Wilkins
765-414-4606
starcrossers.com
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