We Thought We Were Compassionate, but We Were Too Permissive

In his recent The New York Times op-ed, Nicholas Kristof issues a compelling call to action: we must invest in proven solutions to support our neighbors and break cycles of hardship.

The article shares an intimate story behind the Fentanyl crisis in the US, and proposes strategies for early intervention as a means to curb the trend—citing evidence-based literacy programs, community-driven support, and dedicated educators and volunteers as necessary services to invest in.

The article reads,

“Taxpayers spent huge sums imprisoning my old pals and then, a generation later, imprisoning their children; soon we will be paying to imprison their children’s children. It would have been far more sensible and humane to invest in my friends when they were young: addressing their traumas, ensuring that they could read, helping them graduate from high school and learn a trade. We failed them before they failed us.

We know what works, because many programs have excellent evidence of effectiveness in lifting children up. OneGoal. Vision to Learn. Success for All Foundation. Communities in Schools. Reading Partners. Per Scholas. CASA. Big Brothers Big Sisters of America. Reach Out and Read.”

Reading Partners is proud to be part of this ecosystem of support, and we’re grateful that Nicholas Kristof pointed to solutions with strong evidence of effectiveness.

Read the full story published by The New York Times.