Double Jeopardy

Reading Proficiency Matters

About 16% of children who are not reading proficiently by the end of third grade do not graduate from high school on time -- a rate four times greater than that for proficient readers.

Affording Opportunities

Children whose families live in poverty are usually deprived of early education and are more likely to attend low-performing schools.

The Nation's Report Card

The National Assessment of Educational Progress (NAEP), also known as "The Nation's Report Card" showed in 2011 that only 34% of fourth graders read at a "proficient" level, while the rest read at either a "basic" level (33%) or below basic (33%).

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Children Not Graduating from High School by Age 19

a: Third-Grade Reading Test Scores, All Children

b: Children Not Graduating High School by Third-Grade Reading Test Scores, All Children

Children Not Graduating from High School by Age 19, by Poverty Experience and Reading Proficiency

Children Not Reading Proficiently by Neighborhood Type