I've been a librarian for 20 years and have watched the decline of children's literacy firsthand. Here's my random thoughts: 1) No Child Left Behind really sil

I've been a librarian for 20 years and have watched the decline of children's literacy firsthand. Here's my random thoughts: 1) No Child Left Behind really siloed the schools: Back in the early 2000s, partnering with schools for literacy was incredibly easy: teachers would walk kids over to the library and we'd work together to promote summer reading. Now talking to administration is like talking to a brick wall. Even if you make contact with a simpatico teacher, they are often forbidden to lose class hours to come over to the library. 2) The public schools in my area are physically crumbling, and there's no feasible method to replace them. I currently live in a very rural area. My small county (15k residents) has 5 school districts that all need new facilities. These facilities cost between $40-65 million dollars. Even if the new buildings get funded/constructed, enrollments are falling and it's impossible to convince new teachers to come out to the boonies. A school district in the next county is importing teachers from the Philippines because there are no local teachers to hire. 3) There has been a change in parental behavior for the worse. Children are a lot less free-range than they were in the early 2000s, so every library visit has a parent tapping their foot waiting for their child to finish. Sports have become ascendant, even though no professional players in anything have ever come from here. When we have literacy events like Summer Reading, the parents want to know what the prizes are and if they're good enough; if the prizes don't meet their standards, the child doesn't get to participate.