BY: JESSICA BEUKER

Chicago also has a notoriously bad education system. It’s also a city plagued by gang violence. It’s a vicious circle that the Windy City desperately needs to break out of. Seventy nine percent of Chicago 8th graders are not proficient in reading. In 2013, low test-scores caused the Chicago board of education to shut down 50 schools, disproportionately affecting schools with a majority of black student bodies and black teaching staff. Up until now, Chicago has taken a snake-eating-its-own-tail-style approach to fixing its massive education problem.

Thats why Chicago’s new approach to tackling illiteracy is so encouraging. In mid-October, Chicago held Chicago Ideas Week, a seven-day celebration of innovation and local business. As part of the ideas week, Chicago Transit Authority launched the ‘Books on the L’ program. In the United States, the overall literacy rate is 99%— well within the top percentile of the world in terms of education. However, many states often get concealed within the national average.

Chicago has a literacy problem. According to The Whitehouse, only 53% of Windy City citizens are literate.

So as part of Chicago Ideas Week, city officials left hundreds of books through train cars to encourage riders to read during their commute.

The passengers were asked to leave the books behind once they got off at their stop, so that other riders could also benefit from their educational fruit.

The city wants to encourage riders to put down their cellphone or gang colours and pick up a book.

The idea isn’t exactly new. The idea initially began in London with a program called ‘Books on the Underground’ and then it made its way to New York City with a program called ‘Books on the Subway’.

The idea behind the program is to motivate commuters to read more instead of burying their nose in their smartphones.

Hopefully other cities will hop on board and embrace the idea as well.