Civil Municipal Magazine Aug 2023

255 CIVIL AND MUNICIPAL VOLUME 4, ISSUE 8 THE CARROLLTON CI T Y SCHOOLS one priority, as far as making sure all of our kids are able to read and comprehend by the third grade and beyond that.” Albertus said his teachers are implementing the very latest instructional strategies to make sure all students are reading on grade level. Students in pre-kindergarten through the third grade are learning to read, he observed. “And from the third grade on, you’re reading to learn,” he added. Can’t read? You’re at a severe statistical disadvantage. Albertus cited studies that conclusively prove that illiterates and subliterates are entirely likelier to have financial difficulties later in their adult lives, to commit crimes and so on. Literacy is your ticket out and a priceless connection with life in the real world. Cason shared Albertus’s assessment. She cited the importance of parents reading to their children from the earliest possible age, thus instilling in them the desire to become readers themselves as soon as they are able. This also helps them become better, faster learners, and engrains in them lifelong habits. Small children who are read to on a regular basis grow up to be smarter and to do better on tests. When adults, they become readers of news periodicals, histories, biographies, poetry and novels. A sad reality of modern schools––be they public or private––is violence. Bullying, drugs, bomb threats and gunplay have all become unfortunate parts of modern school life. However, Albertus emphasized that at Carrollton City Schools, “We don’t play around when it comes to violence.” To this end, the job of the school resource officer (or SRO) has been created to combat the aforesaid problems in America’s schools. “We have four SRO’s employed––one at each school––through the partnership with the City of Carrollton,” said Albertus. “Our SRO’s are city police officers who serve and protect our students, staffers and community. They do a phenomenal job building relationships with students, while helping promote an atmosphere of safety and trust.” Relatedly, Meredith Browning is responsible for the City of Carrollton Youth Council––a high school youth leadership program that develops future leaders, creates awareness of city government among local youth and solicits suggestions to enhance youth programs. Another phenomenon of modern life is the brain drain that occurs when kids are graduated from high school, earn their collegiate degrees and then take high-paying corporate jobs