You say, "work with. There is a fundamental disconnect, though, between the curriculuum philosophies of the elementary, middle and high schools that is causing serious problems. The elementary schools are not stepping up and taking responsibility for educating their students. If a kid can't read at the end of first grade, no problemm we'll worry about that in second grade."
And the parents are exactly where in this mix. If a kid can't read by the second grade then the parent should be paying attention to what is happening with their own child. The teacher has 30 students - if one student is falling behind it is the joint responsibility of the parent and the teacher. You seem to believe that the parent is the helpless victim if their child falls behind. Most kids CAN read - if your child can't then stand up and take notice.
By the time a child is in first grade, he or she is spending more waking time with the teacher than with the parents. That second grader who cannot read should never have been promoted past first if they couldn't accomplish first grade tasks.
Reading is the linchpin of education. If a child isn't reading well by third grade they are in an academic hole they may never climb out of. There is a magic bullet, though. It's called "direct instruction of phonics" along with a healthy dose of "grouping by ability".
The problem with our education schools, and therefore our elementary schools, is that they are wedded to the idea of full inclusion by age, not to mention the abomination that is whole language. Does whole language work on occasion? Yes, but only on that small percentage of children to whom reading comes easily, like breathing, and that type of child could learn with any curriculuum. Most children are not like that though. The human mind can memorize around 300 sight words a year. Three years of whole language gives a student an effective reading vocabulary of less than a thousand words. Phonics instruction gives students the ability to decode any word they come across. At worst they mispronounce it the first time they say it aloud, but at least they can read it.
I don't ever recall learning how to read. It was just something I was able to do at a very young age --like eating. By the time I entered elementary school, reading seemed second nature. It helped that I was raised in an environment surrounded by lots of books -especially ones with pictures and children's encyclopedias that attracted my interest.
I imagine that for many of today's older kids who can't read, a lack of books in their homes correlates directly with their illiteracy.
Some of them are concerned and working with their children. Some are too busy working to pay much attention. Some are too busy with their social lives, and some are strung out on drugs or alcohol. Some of them had the children when they were 14 or 15 and are just barely adults at this point. Some are in jail and Grandma or Auntie is raising the children.
It's just hard to say anymore.