Chilliwack schoolyards echoed back to life this week. Dormant for two months, they were again filled with shouts and laughter as children tumbled back to class for the first day of school.

For parents – especially for the parents of children attending school for the first time – it is an exciting, yet apprehensive moment.

But how would they feel if they thought their child had only a 50 per cent chance of gaining the literacy skills necessary to succeed in life?

That’s the harsh statistical reality of a new survey unveiled this week by the Canadian Council on Learning.

According to the study, nearly half of all Canadians surveyed have difficulty with even basic reading.

And while the extrapolation to a Chilliwack classroom may seem somewhat crude, the numbers do give pause for thought.

When we send our kids off to school our expectation is that they will succeed; that through education they will lead happier and more productive lives.

Unfortunately our success rate is far from perfect.

Despite decades of attention, literacy remains an elusive goal for a significant segment of our population.

Critics will say inadequate funding is at fault. And yet, more is being spent on education today than at any time in our past. According to the latest statistics from the B.C. government, per-student funding is $8,323. That’s an increase of more than $2,000 in less than a decade. The overall operating funding for B.C. school districts now sits at $4.55 billion.

That money has bought us the latest strategies, most up-to-date methodologies, and curricula that is the envy of the world.

But young people continue to slip through.

Of the students who make it to Grade 10, roughly a third won’t finish secondary school.

The implications for society as a whole are worrisome. It’s been shown that there is a correlation between illiteracy and a host of social ills.

Simply put, those who fail in school struggle in life. And if 50 per cent of Canadians are struggling with the written word, society pays a price.

This is not to say that teachers aren’t working hard or that our schools are not producing exceptional graduates. They are.

But schools can only do so much. Producing literate and well-educated citizens is a task that must go beyond the classroom.

It has to start at home. Parents must take an active role in the education of their children, being both supportive and a model for their child to follow.

The first day of school is an exciting time for children. But it carries with it a reminder that parents have an important role to play in the lifelong educational journey that is beginning this week.