Success Starts With Reading

May 18, 2010

Annie E. Casey Foundation Issues Call To Make Reading by the End of Third Grade a National Priority

Report Shows 74% Of West Virginia Fourth Graders Scored Below Proficient Reading Level in 2009
 
Baltimore, Md., May 18, 2010 - Two out of every three fourth graders overall are not proficient in reading according to the most recent National Assessment of Educational Progress.  In West Virginia, three out of four fourth graders are not reading at grade level, making West Virginia 43rd in the nation in grade level reading proficiency. The problem is even worse for children from low-income families.  Nationally, four of five fourth graders from low-income families are not proficient in reading, and, in West Virginia, the number is slightly more than four of five (83%). 
 
The failure to help children from low-income families reach this milestone cements educational failure and poverty into the next generation.  The Annie E. Casey Foundation is focusing attention on the critical importance of achieving grade-level reading proficiency for all children by the end of third grade.  The ability to read is central to a child's success in school, life-long earning potential, and the ability to contribute to the nation's economy and its security.
 
This new national emphasis on reading success is introduced by a special KIDS COUNT report, Early Warning! Why Reading by the End of Third Grade Matters and is supported by a broad coalition including, America's Promise Alliance, Mission: Readiness and United Way Worldwide.  
 
"Until third grade, children are learning to read.  After third grade, they are reading to learn.  When kids are not reading by fourth grade, they have a steeper hill to climb the rest of their lives," said Ralph Smith, Executive Vice President of the Annie E. Casey Foundation. "Poor reading test scores are profoundly disappointing to all of us who see school success and high school graduation as beacons in the battle against intergenerational poverty."
 
Margie Hale, Executive Director of the West Virginia KIDS COUNT Fund, says one way to improve third grade reading scores is to improve the quality of childcare.  "The best way to make sure all children get the proper foundation for reading is through positive learning experiences early in life.  For every dollar West Virginia spends to significantly improve the quality of childcare, the state will earn a $5.20 return through outcomes such as higher academic achievement and adult earning power, and lower juvenile delinquency and dropout rates.  That's why KIDS COUNT is urging West Virginia's leaders to immediately invest new state dollars in a childcare quality rating and improvement system." 
 
Although NAEP scores have shown incremental increases over the past 15 years for most students, disparities in reading achievement persist across economic, racial and ethnic groups. The share of low-income Black, Hispanic, and Native American students who score below proficient on the NAEP reading test is much higher (89%, 87%, and 85%, respectively) than the share of low-income white or Asian/Pacific Islander students (76% and 70%).

"The stressors facing the most vulnerable kids and families include more health problems that interfere with early learning, fewer early interactions that foster language development plus limited access to high-quality early childhood and pre-K programs," said Patrick T. McCarthy, President and CEO of the Casey Foundation.  "When children attend low-performing, under-resourced schools their parents may be less able or comfortable interacting with schools on their children's behalf.  They may be distracted by hunger, housing insecurity, and family mobility."
 
Alma Powell of America's Promise Alliance notes that her organization was founded to encourage high school graduation, but has had to increasingly focus on early school success. "The National Research Council has shown that a child who is not at least a modestly skilled reader by the end of third grade is unlikely to graduate from high school," says Powell. "We must intervene early to make a difference."  

Brigadier General Velma Richardson, U.S. Army (Ret.), of Mission: Readiness says the pool of high school graduates is neither large enough nor skilled enough to meet our national security needs.  "The Defense Department estimates 75 percent of Americans aged 17 to 24 are ineligible to join the U.S. military because they are poorly educated, involved in crime or physically unfit.  Even with a high school diploma, 30% of potential recruits fail the entrance exam due to inadequate math and reading skills," said General Richardson.  "We must get today's kids on track to become tomorrow's leaders."

McKinsey & Company estimates that the US GDP in 2008 could have been $1.3 trillion to $2.3 trillion higher, if the U.S. students had met the educational achievement level of higher performing nations between 1983 and 1998.
 
"United Way wants to change that reality, and fulfill every parent's dream for their children to succeed in school, work and life.  We look forward to working with the Casey Foundation and organizations represented here today to help our children achieve their full potential," said Stacey D. Stewart, Executive Vice President, Center for Community Leadership and Community Impact Leadership, United Way Worldwide.   
 
A child's experience in a high-poverty school plays a huge role in determining how likely that child is to be a grade-level reader by the end of third grade.  This failure of high-poverty schools is similar across all groups, but especially pronounced in high-poverty schools serving black, Hispanic and American Indians kids.

The extent of the problem will be the subject of a May 18 panel discussion where panelists will identify a host of issues and challenges that contribute to students falling behind the reading curve. For many children, these challenges begin at birth and include poor health or nutrition, language barriers and lack of adequate parental supervision. For others, the problem might be due to chronic absenteeism from school, summer learning loss, or low-performing schools.
 
Recognizing these and other challenges, the Casey Foundation's Early Warning! Why Reading by the End of Third Grade Matters has identified four steps to close the gap and raise the bar:

• Develop a coherent system of early care and education that aligns, integrates, and coordinates what happens from birth through third grade so children are ready to take on the learning tasks associated with fourth grade and beyond. 
• Encourage and enable parents, families, and caregivers to play their indispensable roles as co-producers of good outcomes for their children. 
• Prioritize, support, and invest in results-driven initiatives to transform low-performing schools into high-quality teaching and learning environments in which all children, including those from low-income families and high-poverty neighborhoods, are present, engaged, and educated to high standards. 
• Develop and utilize solutions to two of the most significant contributors to the under-achievement of children from low-income families-chronic absence from school and summer learning loss.

"Because it's such a strong predictor of future problems, Casey is putting a stake in the ground on ensuring that children are able to read at grade level by the end of third grade," said Michael L. Eskew, Casey Board Chair and former CEO of UPS.   "The research is clear and compelling.  And it affirms what common sense tells us.  In a knowledge dependent world and global economy, no city, no region, no nation -- including our own -- can compete successfully without attending to the basics. And that starts with reading." 

The Annie E. Casey Foundation is a private charitable organization, whose primary mission is to foster public policies, human-service reforms, and community supports that more effectively meet the needs of today's vulnerable children and families. For more information, visit www.aecf.org.
 
The West Virginia KIDS COUNT Fund is the state's most trusted source of information about the well-being of children and a leader in the effort to educate parents, policymakers and the public about what young children need to thrive and achieve.  KIDS COUNT's vision is to create a culture that values, nurtures and realizes the potential of West Virginia's youngest children.  For more information, visit www.wvkidscountfund.org.

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The Casey Foundation will release the report during a webcast on May 18th at 1:00 PM ET. The live webcast will include featured speakers and a panel discussion, moderated by Michel Martin, Host of NPR's "Tell Me More," with representatives from the education, government, and business sectors. To register for the webcast, please visit www.visualwebcaster.com/casey-foundation-briefing. 

Follow the Annie E. Casey Foundation and this issue on Twitter @annieECaseyfndn and on Facebook at www.facebook.com/AnnieECaseyFoundation.