EARLY Why Readmg by the End of T1'111"d Grade Matters A KIDS COUNT Special Report from the Annie E. Casey Foundation EARLY Why Reading by the End of Third Grade Matters .KIDS COUNT Special Report from the Annie ey Foundation (C) 2010 Annie E. Casey Foundation 701 St. Paul Street Baltimore, MD 21202 vnm.aecf.org Permission to copy, disseminate, or otherwise use information from this Specrlal Report is granted as long as appropriate acknowledgment is given. Designed by State-level data provided by Population Reference Bureau and Child Trends. Data compiled by Population Reference Bureau. vum.prb.org Photography (C) Susie Fitzhugh and Carol Highsmith. Printed and bound in the United States of America on recycled paper using soy-based inks. The 2010 KIDS COUNT Special Report can be viewed, downloaded, or ordered on the Internet at vNm.kidscount.org. This report was researched and written by Leila Fiester in consultation with Ralph Smith, Executive Vice President ofthe Annie E. Casey Foundation. Expert advice on content came from many people within and outside the Foundation, including Doug Nelson, Bruno Manno (now with the Walton Family Foundation), Cindy Guy, Laura Beavers and Florencia Gutierrez (who also provided data expertise), Tony Cipollone, Jessy Donaldson, Simran Noon Mike Laracy Lisa Kane, Lisa Klein, Hedy Chang, Ruby Takanishi, Fasaha Traylon Ann Segal, Lisbeth Schorr, Frank Farrovm Jeanne ehl, Lisa Roy Marty Blank, Kati Haycock, Gina Adams, Terry Meersman, Charlie Brunen Jane Quinn, Elizabeth Burke Bryant, Catherine Walsh, B.J. Walker, Diane Grigsby Jackson, Erica Okezie- Phillips, Susan Notkin, Gail Meister, Ron Haskins, Shelley Waters Boots, Ruth Mayden, Paula Dressel, Yolie Flores, and Sheila Byrd. Our colleagues at Casey Family Services also provided valuable information and insights, including Ray Torres, Joy Duva, Lauren Frey, Diane Kindler, and Eliot Brenner. Cheryl McAfee and Jan Goudreau tracked down countless research reports, often on a moment's notice. Connie managed the production process with grace and patience, while Dana Vickers Shelley provided leadership on the communications side. 2 I EARLY Why Reading by the End of Third Grade Matters aecf org I The Annle Casey Foundation 4 Introduction 8 Reading Proficiently by the End of Third Grade Matters-a Lot 14 Several Major Factors Undermine Grade-Level Reading Proficiency 22 America Can Solve the Crisis in Grade-Level Reading Proficiency 40 A Call to Action 42 Indicators 56 Endnotes 60 About the Annie E. Casey Foundation and KIDS COUNT EARLY Why Reading by the End of Third Grade Matters aecf.org I The Annie E. Casey Foundation I 3 "The relative decline of American education is untenable for our economy, unsustainable for our democracy, and unacceptable for our children, and we cannot afford to let it continue." President Barack Obama MAnnHa,2nna - EilTl'| rg Tn/x E_c yF Over the past decade, Americans have become increasingly concerned about the high numbers-and costs-of high school dropouts. In 2007, nearly 6.2 million young people (16% ofthe 16-24 age group) were high school dropouts.' Every student who does not complete high school costs our society an estimated $260,000 in lost earnings, taxes, and productivity? High school dropouts also are more likely than those who graduate to be arrested or have a child while still a teenager,3 both ofwhich incur additional financial and social costs. Behind these statistics, as one military expert notes, lies a "demographic surprise": The current pool of qualified high school graduates is neither large enough nor skilled enough to supply our nation's workforce, higher education, leadership, and national security needs. In 1965, President Lyndon Johnson supported the Head Start program as an action taken in the national defense because too many young Americans could not pass the military's basic skills entrance test. We are at a similar point today; An estimated Introduction 75% ofAmericans aged 17 to 24 cannot join the U.S. military-26 million young Americans-most often because they are poorly educated, involved in crime, or physically unfit, according to a report by Mission: Readiness.' In an increasingly global and technological economy, employ- ers struggle to find enough educated, competent, and accountable workers. And community colleges and other institutions of higher education spend considerable time and resources on remedial coursework for students who simply are not prepared for post-secondary education despite having a high school diploma. Growing awareness ofthese realities has produced a common sense consensus around the need to mobilize around and invest in dropout prevention. But the process of dropping out begins long before a child gets to high school. It stems from loss of interest and motivation in middle school, often triggered by retention in grade and the struggle to keep up academically. A major cause of retention is failure to master the knowledge and content needed to progress EARLY Why Reading by the End ol Third Grade I\/Iatters aecI.or;f I The Annie Casey Foundation I 5 Percent of 4th graders scoring below proficient and below basic TABLE on NAEP reading test, by geography and family income: 2009 snow Pnuricirnr snuwiansic MDDERATE- AND MDDERATE-AND All All STUDENTS STUDENTS7 STUDENTS STUDENTS STUDENTS1 STUDENTS E7 83 55 33 49 20 City 71 85 55 39 54 22 Suhurh E2 81 52 28 47 19 TDWII 71 83 59 35 48 22 |1l|l'Geographic areas are based on U.S. Census data describing proximity to an urbanized area (a densely settled core with densely settled surrounding areas), using four categories (City, Suburb, Town, Rural). 1 Family income is measured using students' eligibility for the National School Lunch Program, a federally assisted meal program, sometimes referred to as the free/reduced-price lunch program. Free or reduced-price lunches are offered to students with incomes below 185% of the poverty level. SUURGE Annie E. Casey Foundation analysis of data from the NAEP Data Explorer, available at on NAEP reading test, by family income and race/ethnicity: 2009 TABLE 2 Percent of 4th graders scoring below proficient and below basic snow snow sAs|c MUDERATE- AND MUDERATE-AND ALL LUW-INCUME NIGN-INCUME ALL LUW-INCUME NIGN-INCUME STUDENTS STUDENTS7 STUDENTS STUDENTS STUDENTS7 STUDENTS Total E7 B3 55 33 48 29 Whiie 5B 76 52 22 3B 17 Black B4 BH 74 52 5B 3B Hispanic B3 B7 72 51 56 36 Asian/Pacific Islander 51 43 35 I4 American Indian B5 EH 5IJ 58 34 Categories exclude Hispanic origin. Results are not shown for students whose race/ethnicity was unclassified. 2 Family income is measured using students' eligibility for the National School Lunch Program, a federally assisted meal program, sometimes referred to as the free/reduced-price lunch program. Free or reduced-price lunches are offered to students with incomes below 185% of the poverty level. Annie E. Casey Foundation analysis of data from the NAEP Data Explorer, available at 6 I EARLY Why Reading bythe End oi Third Grade Matters aecI.org I The Annie E. Casey Foundation on time-and that, in agreat many cases, is the result of not being able to read profi- ciently as early as fourth grade. The time is now to build a similar consensus around this less-recognized but equally urgent fact; The pool from which employers, colleges, and the military draw is too small, and still shrinking, because millions of American children get to fourth grade without learning to read proficiently. And that puts them on the dropout track. The shortfall in reading proficiency is especially pronounced among low-income children: Of the fourth-graders who took the National Assessment of Educational Progress (NAEP) reading test in 2009, fully 83% ofchildren from low-income families- and 85% of low-income students who attend high-poverty schools-failed to reach the "proficient" level? The shortfall occurs similarly for low-income kids attending schools in cities, suburbs, towns, and rural areas alike (with 85%, 81%, 83%, and 81%, respectively, failing to meet the proficient standard)." The statistics aren't much better for NAEP's lower achievement level, "basic," which indicatesjust partial mastery of prerequisite knowledge and skills. Half of all low-income test takers in fourth grade, and 53% of those who attend high- poverty schools, do not reach even NAEP's basic level. Moreover, although NAEP scores have shown incremental increases over the past 15 years within most subpopulations of students, disparities in reading achievement persist across 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 catastro- phically high 87%, and 85%, respectively) and much larger than the share of low- income white or Asian/Pacific Islander students (76% and Similar differences occur at NAEP's basic achievement level. These scores are profoundly disappointing to all of us who see school success and high school graduation as beacons in the battle against intergenerational poverty. The fact is that the low-income fourth- graders who cannot meet NAEP's proficient level in reading today are all too likely to become our nation's lowest-income, least- skilled, least-productive, and most costly citizens tomorrow. Simply put, without a dramatic reversal of the status quo, we are cementing educational failure and poverty into the next generation. We know, for example, that a child's early school success correlates with his or her mother's level of education. Kindergartners whose mothers have more education "are more likely to score in the highest quartile in reading, mathematics, and general knowledge than all other children" and to have better motor skills than children whose mothers have less formal education, according to a longitudi- nal study of3.7 million children who entered kindergarten in 1998.7 Students whose mothers have less than a high school diploma or its equivalent are more likely to be retained in grade than children whose mothers have abachelor's or graduate degree (20% versus The bottom line is that ifwe don't get dramatically more children on track as proficient readers, the United States will lose agrowing and essential proportion of its human capital to poverty, and the price will be paid not only by individual children and families, but by the entire country. This special report highlights the causes and consequences of low reading proficiency and proposes some essential steps toward closing the gap between those who can and cannot read proticiently, raising the bar for what we expect all American children to know and be able to do, and improving the overall achievement of children from low- income families. INTRODUCTION The marker we use for measur- ing success is the proucicncy by NAEP. Although it does not equate exactly with grade-level profi- ciency, which \aries by state, it is closest to the le\ el required by global realities, and that is the le\ el to which we ought to aspire. The test is gi\ en at the beginning ol' fourth grade, so it tests hat a child has learned by the end ol' third grade (and o\ er the inter\ en - ing summer). Fourth-grade students performing at NAEP's proficient 'should be able to demonstrate an o\ erall understanding ol' the text, pr-o\ lnl`erentlal as ell as literal inl`ormation_ \&`hen reading text appropriate to fourth grade, the) should be able to extend the ideas in the text by making inferences, draw ing conclusions, and making connections to their ow experiences. The connec- tion betw een the text and what the student inl`ers should be clear." nationsreportcard/reading/ achie\eall_asp_) EARLY Why Reading bythe End ol Third Grade l\/latters aectorg I The Annie E. Casey Foundation I 7 All skills begin with the basics of reading and math, which are supposed to be learned in the early grades of our schools. Yet for too long, for too many children, those skills were never mastered." President George W. Bush ZUU3 STATE UE THE UNIUN ADDRESS A I I .T ,sf ui IIE ikln gg 4" A I 12 -H 'imi .. it .. . 1 ~e-ea .E - gbyhE rg E_c yF Reading proficiently by the end of third grade (as measured by NAEP at the beginning of fourth grade) can be a make- or-break benchmark in a child's educational development. Up until the end of third grade, most children are learning to read. Beginning in fourth grade, however, they are reading to learn, using their skills to gain more information in subjects such as math and science, to solve problems, to think critically about what they are learning, and to act upon and share that knowledge in the world around them. Up to half ofthe printed fourth-grade curriculum is incomprehen- sible to students who read below that grade level, according to the Children's Reading Foundation." And three quarters of students who are poor readers in third grade will remain poor readers in high school, accord- ing to researchers at Yale University."' Not surprisingly, students with relatively low literacy achievement tend to have more behavioral and social problems in subse- quent grades" and higher rates of retention in grade. The National Research Council asserts that "academic success, as defined by high school graduation, can be predicted Reading Proficiently by the End of Third Grade Matters-a Lot with reasonable accuracy by knowing someone's reading skill at the end of third grade. A person who is not at least a mod- estly skilled reader by that time is unlikely to graduate from high Low achievement in reading has important long-term consequences in terms of individual earning potential, global competi- tiveness, and general productivity. At an individual level, the median annual income of a high school dropout in 2007 was $23,000, compared with $48,000 for someone who obtained a bachelor's or higher degree"-a considerable difference for anyone trying to support a family and be economically self-sufficient. Globally the United States performs poorly against our trading partners and competitors in comparisons of reading achievement. Fourth-graders in 10 of 45 educational jurisdictions around the world who were tested in 2006 scored significantly higher in reading literacy than their counterparts in the United States, including children in Russia, Hong Kong, Singapore, parts of Canada, and Hungary." The number of EARLY Why Reading by the End oi Third Grade Matters aecl.org I The Annie Casey Foundation I 9 !bEARLY Why Readmq lu the End 07 THUG Grade Matters J: aechorq I The Anme E. 7 asey Foundatxon countries that outperform the United States in reading is growing." The education achievement gap leads to a productivity gap between the United States and other countries. McKinsey Company estimates that if U.S. students had met the educational achievement levels of higher-performing nations between 1983 and 1998, America's GDP in 2008 could have been $1.3 trillion to $2.3 trillion higher." In that sense, the education gap has "created the equivalent of a permanent, deep reces- sion in terms of the gap between actual and potential output in the economy," McKinsey asserts." U.S. Secretary of Education Arne Duncan puts it this way: "We have to educate our way to a better economy.""' Demographic realities make the reading gap too large a problem to ignore. Let's do the math; There are 7.9 million low-income children from birth through age 8-one-fifth of all kids in this age group." Ifcurrent trends hold true, 6.6 million of these children are at increased risk of failing to graduate from high school on time because they won't be able to meet NAEP's proficient reading level by the end ofthird grade. Changes to the United States' racial/ ethnic composition also command attention. By 2023, more than halfof the country's student population will be non-white," and by 2042, the majority ofthe overall U.S. population will be non-white." (In many states that play a critical role in the U.S. economy, such as California, the change has already arrived.) The fastest-growing subpopulation is Hispanic/Latino-indeed, by 2050, nearly one in three U.S. residents will be Hispanic"-yet Hispanic children have some ofthe poorest educational outcomes in the country. Simultaneously, the Baby Boom generation is reaching READING PROFICIENTLV BV THE END OF THIRD GRADE MATTERS A LOT retirement age and must be replaced in the workforce. And so, as New York Times editorialist Bob Herbert notes, "1fAmerica is to maintain its leadership position in the world and provide a first-rate quality of life for its citizens here at home, the educational achievement of American youngsters across the board [emphasis added] needs to be ratcheted way The world economy demands a more educated workforce, and grade-level reading proficiency is the key. Students who cannot read proticiently are especially unlikely to obtain a post-secondary degree, which is necessary for the kind ofjobs that make America globally competitive in the age of information and communications technology. And adult workers who cannot read well are less able to acquire new skills and adapt to new needs in a fast-changing global marketplace. Analyses ofdata from the Organiza- tion for Economic Cooperation and Development (OECD) indicate that the United States will need 60% ofits popula- tion to possess a post-secondary degree or credential by 2025 to remain globally competitive." Currently, 30% of all adult workers in the United States hold four-year degrees, an attainment rate second only to Norway." But if we look at the rate among the youngest adult workers-those workers on whom our future depends-the United States ranked sixth among OECD nations in 2006, behind Norway, the Netherlands, South Korea, Denmark, and Sweden." 1fwe look at two-year degrees, the U.S. attain- ment rate for all workers is only average and has fallen over time." To achieve the OECD goal for workers with post-secondary degrees, the United States will need to produce 16 million more graduates above EARLY Why Reading by the End oi Third Grade l\/latters aeci.or;f I The Annie Casey Foundation I 11 READING PROFICIENTLV BV THE END OF THIRD GRADE MATTERS-A LOT the current rate of production." That cannot happen unless we increase the number of high school graduates. And that requires significantly more children getting on track to graduation by reading profi- ciently by the end ofthird grade. Our current approach to testing and standards masks the extent of our nation's problem with reading proficiency. In reality, a large proportion of all fourth-graders who take the NAEP reading test fail to reach the proficient level, including 55% of all students from moderate- to high-income families (regardless of But many of these non-proficient readers aren't identi- fied by state-level tests. The George W. Bush administration's No Child Left Behind Act of2001 (NCLB) required annual testing and reporting of reading proficiency scores with the goal that virtually all children will meet grade-level proficiency standards by 2014. (Proposals for the law's upcoming reautho- rization would remove that deadline but continue tracking students' grade-level proficiency year to year and rewarding schools for student progress.) NCLB also required states to disaggregate scores according to socioeconomic status, race/ ethnicity, gender, disability, and English proficiency Those requirements helped focus long-overdue attention on the gaps among student subpopulations. However, NCLB's current provisions, especially those around annual yearly progress, also have had the unintended and perverse effect of contributing to a "race to the bottom" on standards. with no consis- tent, commonly accepted and applied 12 I EARLY Why Reading by the End oi Third Grade Matters understanding of what "reading profi- ciency" means or how to measure it, many states have lowered the "cut score"-the number ofitems a student must answer correctly-to ensure that a sufficient proportion of students meet NCLB's requirement for adequate yearly progress. Each state sets its own standard and uses its own unique test to measure proficiency, and most set a low (and falling) bar compared with the NAEP standard. A study by the National Center for Education Statistics, based on 2007 data, concluded that no state set its own reading proficiency standard for fourth-graders at a level that met or exceeded NAEP's "proficient" standard. Only 16 states set their proficiency standard at a level that met or exceeded NAEP's lower "basic" standard. The remaining states set their proEciency standard at so low a level that it falls below the NAEP "basic" reading level." Furthermore, between 2005 and 2007, 15 states lowered their proficiency standards in fourth- or eighth-grade reading or math, while only eight states increased the rigor of standards in one or both subjects and grades." The result: State testing data consis- tently underreport the true depth and extent of the deficit in reading proficiency, thereby depriving parents, educators, communities, and policymakers of a powerful tool for advocating change and measuring progress. Children in many states may be nominally proficient, but still lack the skills to actually read at the level required to learn efficiently in the fourth grade and beyond." aeci.o|g I The Ahhie E. Casey Foundation FIGURE i NAEP scale equwaient scores for the state grade 4 readmg standards for proficlent performance, by state ZOO7 EARLY 208 238 STATE SDURE 150 NAEP Basic NAEP Massachusetts 131 Missnuri 117 Snuth Earulina 113 Minnesnta 115 Maine 114 114 113 Arkansas 113 iiawaii 111 111 Ealitnrnia 11D Ithude Island 11D Itew Hampshire 11D Itew Mexicn 11D Itew 1D3 Flnrida 1D3 Itevada 1D7 Kentucky 1D5 Wynming 154 Mnntana 1D3 1D3 Delaware 1D1 Itewlersey 151 Daknta 151 Illinuis 133 Indiana 133 Inwa 133 Dhiu 138 Ariznna 138 Idahu 137 Lnuisiana 133 Wiscunsin 133 Kansas 131 Virginia 131 Texas' 188 Enlnradn 187 Dregnn 185 Maryland 185 Snuth Daknta 185 Genrgia 185 Alaska 183 Earnlina 183 West Virginia 181 Alalxama 173 Michigan 178 Tennessee 175 Dklahnma 171 Mississippi 153 1 District u1IIulumhia II.A. Itehraska II.A. Utah II.A. 'Relative error greater than 0.5. NA. 1 Snare assessment dam not available U.S. Department of Education, National Center for Education Statistics, Institute of Education Sciences, Mapping State Proficiency Standards Onto NAEP Scales. 2005-2007 Why Reading bythe End oi Third Grade Matters aecI.org I The Annie E. Casey Foundation I 13 "Now I ask you and I ask all our nation's governors, I ask parents, teachers, and citizens all across America for a new nonpartisan commitment to education, because education is a critical national security issue for our future, and politics must stop at the schoolhouse door." President William J. Clinton |997 STATE UE THE UNIIJN ADDRESS I if -.. - I ;l'l'r I- Mi, I, . 1' llI"" _gpELl_ QJ., l` I 14 gbyhE in. rg Tn/x ec yF Children must be readyto succeed when they get to school (cognitively, socially, emotionally, and physically) before they can learn there. They also need to be present at school-attending regularly-because they can't learn ifthey aren't there. And they need to have high-quality learning opportu- nities, beginning at birth and continuing in school and during out-of-school time, including summers, in order to sustain learning gains and not lose ground. For millions of American children, however, these essential conditions are not met. For low-income children in particular, a "readiness gap" fuels much of what has become known as the achievement gap. Readiness includes beingin good health; having the support of a strong family; feeling safe; and having positive social interaction skills, language skills, the motivation to learn, emotional and behav- ioral self-control, and physical skills and capacities. Education and policy leaders on both sides of the aisle recognized the importance of readiness in the Goals 2000: Educate America Act, signed into law in 1994, which called for all children to have Several Major Factors Undermine Grade-Level Reading Proficiency access to high-quality, developmentally appropriate preschool programs and the nutrition, physical activity experiences, and health care "needed to arrive at school with healthy minds and bodies and to maintain the mental alertness necessary to be prepared to learn."3' Despite that aspiration, however, an acute readiness gap often begins at birth, continues growing until school entry, and leads to an achievement gap that persists through each subsequent year of schooling. The gap begins at birth for children born low birthweight, prematurely, with congeni- tal health problems, or affected by prenatal exposure to toxic substances. Children aren't born with an equal chance at the American Dream, as Ron Haskins and Isabel Sawhill point out in Creating an Opportunity Society," and one of the most basic and early differences has to do with health at birth. Low-birthweight babies are at greater risk than normal-weight babies for neurodevelopmental problems cerebral palsy, blindness, and mental retardation), behavioral problems, and attention deficit EARLY Why Reading by the End oi Third Grade Matters aecI.org I The Annie Casey Foundation I 15 SEVERAL MAJOR FACTORS UNDERMINE GRADE-LEVEL READING PROFICIENCV "America vows to be the country of hope and opportunity for all, but it fails to fulfill this promise to our youngest citizens. We celebrate their birth but then wait to see if they succeed in school before we pay attention to their and needs." FRIJM Quiet Crisis: The Urgent Need to Build Early Childhood Systems and Quality Programs for Children Birth to Age Five," policy statement by the Council of Chief State School Officers (November 2009). AVAILABLE AT hyperactivity disorder of which can interfere with learning and school success. KIDS COUNT data show that 8% of all children nationally have low birthweight," but the percentage is higher for children born to low-income mothers than for higher-income children Newborns whose mothers have low levels of education are more likely than newborns of more-educated mothers to have been exposed prenatally to cigarette smoke, alcohol, drugs, and folic acid deficiencies, which can cause preterm birth, intrauterine growth retardation, and long-lasting effects on the child's cognition and behavior." The readiness gap continues between birth and kindergarten due to differences in children's resources and opportunities for physical, linguistic, cognitive, social, emotional, and behavioral development. Disparities in developmental outcomes "emerge in infancy and widen in toddler- hood. By the time children from low-income families enter kindergarten, they are typically 12-14 months below national norms in language and pre-reading skills.""' Low-income children have ahigher incidence of health problems that interfere witl1 learning, such as chronic asthma, poor 16 I EARLY Why Reading by the End of Third Grade Matters hearing, vision and dental problems, frequent headaches, heart conditions, kidney disease, epilepsy, digestive problems, and mental retardation." Almost 10% oflow- income children under age 8 have a physical or mental health condition that limits their activities, compared with 6% of middle- income children." Children are less likely to be in excellent or very good health at 9 and 24 months if they come from low-income families, racial/ethnic minority groups, homes where English isn't spoken, and/or mothers with low education levels." More- over, low-income children receive less, and lower-quality, medical care-and fare less well as a result-than wealthier children who have the same health problems." Too many children from low-income families lack early interactions that foster linguistic development, including verbal interactions with their parents, being read to, and access to books in their home, compared with children from middle-income families." Vocabulary development by age 3 has been found to predict reading achievement by third grade." Preschoolers whose parents (especially mothers) read to them," tell stories, or sing songs tend to develop larger vocabu- laries," become better readers, and perform better in school, while children who lack this aecl.org I The Annie E. Casey Foundation stimulation during early childhood tend to arrive at school with measurably weaker language, cognitive, and memory skills." By age 3, children from wealthier families typically have heard 30 million more words than children from low-income families." Some children don't develop the social and emotional skills needed to function in a structured environment like school before they reach school age. These capacities, which arejust as essential as cognitive skills for school success, include: the ability to manage emotions, follow direc- tions, take turns, share, take responsibility, work independently and cooperatively, and stick with a task; motivation; enjoyment of learning; and the executive function-an ability to control oneself, make plans, learn rules, act appropriately, and think in abstract terms. Low-income children who are rated relatively high on social skills in kindergarten and first grade tend to have better literacy skills than children with low social skills ratings, a trend that continues into third grade." Between 9% and 14% of children ages birth through 5 experience socio-emotional problems that negatively impact their function, development, and school readiness." Low-income children are less likely than middle-income children to participate in high-quality early childhood and pre- kindergarten programs that prepare children to succeed in school. Nationally, only about 47% of 3- and 4-year-olds are enrolled in a preschool program of any kind." State-funded programs, arguably the type most affordable for low-income families, served only 24% of 4-year-olds in 2008.55 Although enrollment is growing-the number of 4-year-olds in state pre-K jumped by 67% between 2002 and 20095"-12 states have no state-wide funded preschool program at all." The federally funded Early Head Start program serves only 3% of infants and toddlers from eligible low-income families, nationally" SEVERAL MAJOR FACTORS UNDERMINE GRADE LEVEL READING PROFICIENCV The readiness gap becomes an achievement gap when children enter school. and this gap persists over the students' school experience. McKinsey Company found a gap of two to three years oflearning between low-income and higher-income students in its analysis of average NAEP scores (10 points on the NAEP test are roughly equal to one year of education).5" For many low-income students, the achievement gap is exacer- bated by low-performing schools; chronic absence; summer reading loss; and stressors like childhood hunger and food insecurity, housinginsecurity, and family mobility. Too many children attend low- performing schools or schools that are "not ready" to teach to high standards- under-resourced schools that are not organized to fulill the expectation that they will serve as portals to equal opportunity In low-performing schools, the curriculum is "shallow, overly broad, [and] fails to teach students basic rather than being content-rich, challenging, developmentally appropriate, aligned with standards and assessments, culturally responsive, and built around a coherent scope and sequence so it can serve as a road map for learning. Although the National Reading Panel identified five essential components of reading instruction," those elements are not always made part of schools' curriculum or instruc- tion. Unclear guidelines leave teachers to figure out for themselves "what to teach, what order to teach it in, how to teach it, and to what level.""2 Assessments often are inappropriate-mismatched to children's ages, developmental stages, and cultures or languages;"3 not designed to measure higher-order critical-thinking skills;"' too narrowly focused"-and poorly adminis- tered. Too many teachers lack the training, experiences, or knowledge needed to teach reading effectively""~"7 and opportunities to collaborate with and learn from their peers. EARLY Why Reading by the End oi Third Grade Matters aecicrgf I The Ahhie Casey Foundation I 17 SEVERAL MAJOR FACTORS UNDERMINE GRADE-LEVEL READING PROFICIENCV Low-income children face a double jeopardy because they are most likely to live in places where "high rates of student poverty, residential instability, neighbor- hood crime and distress, aging facilities, and limited fiscal capacity all undermine the performance of public School districts with relatively few low-income students spend about $773 more per student than districts with a majority of low-income students." The gap is even per student-between districts with high and low levels of minority students." Even apart from the money gap, many schools are not equipped with the materials, tools, strategies, and expertise to deal with large numbers of struggling readers, especially children retained in grade who need remedial assistance. In these places, "school performance reinforces and vicious cycle of poverty concentration, racial segregation, and neighborhood distress."" Furthermore, a disconnection often exists between schools and families, especially when parents have low levels of education or are recent immigrants. In 1960, school reform developer James Comer indicated that one of the biggest challenges to improving education was to reduce the distance between the culture of the school and that of the community, and his observa- tion still holds true today. Too often, schools have low expectations for low-income students and children of color. Schools also may discount the potential to use students racial, ethnic, and cultural backgrounds as levers for learning; parents may not under- stand or feel comfortable with the school culture; and children may "drop out" mentally because ofthe lack ofconnection between school and their own lives. School district policies often exacer- bate the problem by disproportionately assigning low-income and minority students to teachers who are inexperienced, academ- ic ally weaker, or teaching out of their field." 18 I EARLY Why Reading! by the End of Third Grade Matters it According to The Education Trust, The percentage of first-year teachers at high- minority schools is almost twice as high as the low-minority schools."" Low pay also makes it hard to attract and retain good educators. with teachers earning approximately 89 cents on the dollar compared with workers in similar occupations," it's no surprise that new teachers leave the profession "at an alarm- ing rate-50% in the first five years of teaching, by some estimates."75 Too many children miss too much instructional time due to chronic absence. Chronic absence (missing 10% or more of the school year, for any reason) is a problem for 1 in 10 kindergartners and first-graders nationwide. In some districts, the ratio is as high some elementary schools) for children in grades It's often hard to gauge the extent of chronic absence because most schools monitor only average daily attendance and unexcused absences,which can mask the chronic absence of many individual students." Chronic absence matters because succeeding in school requires beingin school; a child who isn't present isn't acquiring what he or she needs to know to succeed there. Chronic absence in kinder- garten is associated with lower academic performance in first grade, For low-income children, chronic early absence predicts the lowest levels of educational achievement at the end offifth grade." By sixth grade, students who attend school less than 80% of the time, or fail math or English/reading, or receive an unsatisfactory behavior grade in a core course, have only a 10% to 20% chance ofgraduating on time." And by ninth grade, missing 20% of school can predict dropping out better than eighth- grade test Chronic early absence can signal problems within the school or community or a parent's unawareness that regular attendance aeclorg I The Annie E. Casey Foundation TABLE 3 Percent of 4th graders who scored below prof1c1ent and basic and school 1ncome 2009 levels on NAEP reading test, by race/ethnicity family income, snow PRDFICIENT snow sAs|c FAMILV mcnM?" FAMILV |ncnM?" LIIW INCIIME LIIW INCIIME TDTAL Moderate-to high-income schools 76 48 38 lli Low-income schools B5 E5 53 28 WHITE Moderate-to high-income schools 72 47 33 I4 Low-income schools 77 58 22 BLACK Moderate-to high-income schools B3 E7 4B Low-income schools 78 lil] 44 HISPANIC Moderate-to high-income schools B2 E4 44 28 Low-income schools BB 78 58 45 ISLANDER Moderate-to high-income schools Eli 38 26 12 Low-income schools 71 55 38 24 AMERICAN INDIAN Moderate-to high-income schools 75 lil] 45 25 Low-income schools BE 74 58 Categories exclude Hispanic origin. Results are not shown for students whose race/ethnicity was unclassified. 2 School income is measured by whether or not the school has high rates of low-income children and receives Title 1 funds to support school-wide programs. 3 Family income is measured using students' eligibility for the National School Lunch Program, a federally assisted meal program, sometimes referred to as the free/reduced-price lunch program. Free or reduced-price lunches are offered to students with incomes below 185% ofthe poverty level. Annie E. Casey Foundation analysis ofdata from the NAEP Data Explorer, available at EARLY Why Readmg bythe End of Grade Matters aeclorg I The Anme E. Casey Foundatlon I 19 SEVERAL MAJOR FACTORS UNDERMINE GRADE-LEVEL READING PROFICIENCV matters. It also may be caused by major family stressors, such as a parent's physical or mental health condition, family violence, substance abuse, or child abuse or neglect. Too many children lose ground during the summer months. Children of all socioeconomic groups make similar achieve- ment gains during the school year (relative to their starting points), but research shows that low-income children fall behind during the summer by as much as two months of reading achievement-while their middle-income peers make slight gains." "Since it is low-[income] youth specincally whose out-of-school learning lags behind, this summer shortfall relative to better-off children contributes to the perpetuation of family advantage and disadvantage across generations," a recent study found." Summer learning experiences during the early school years also substan- tially account for higher achievement in terms of placement in a college preparatory track, high school completion, and atten- dance at a four-year college." Summer learning loss produces a gap that grows over the years. A study of Baltimore students found that by the end of fifth grade, low-income students read at a level almost three grades behind that of middle-income students. By ninth grade, summer learning loss over the I-ive preced- ing years accounted for more than halfof the difference in reading skills." To catch up, youth who have fallen behind academi- cally need to make larger-than-average gains. That is expecting a great deal, perhaps too much, ofstruggling students." Researchers attribute the socioeco- nomic gap in summer learning to differences in families' economic resources (wealthier families can pay for more books, computers, and alternate learning opportunities when school is out) and in parents' attitudes toward school and learning ("middle-class parents take an active poorer parents see education as the Z0 I EARLY Why Reading bythe End of Third Grade Matters Summer learning programs help some children gain reading skills (as well as social skills and self-efficacy). However, only 25% to 36% of children between ages 6-11 attend summer learning programs." And, para- doxically, the students who might gain the most from summer learning programs are least likely to participate. An analysis of the 1999 National Survey of America's Families found that 29% of children from middle- income households participate in summer learning programs, compared with only 18% of children from low-income households." Too many children are distracted by childhood hunger and food insecurity, housing insecurity, and family mobility. Nearly 1 in 4 American children-16.7 million altogether-struggles with hunger and food insecurity (not knowing when the next meal will Malnourished children have impaired cognitive development, long-term emotional and health problems, decreased educational attainment, and decreased productivity." In a school setting, hungry children often "feel sick, tired, cranky, or bored; fight more with classmates and get in trouble with teachers; feel anxious or unable to concentrate; [and] suffer from poor health, weakened immune systems, and increased hospitalizations.""' As Bill Shore, founder of Share Our Strength, observes, "Childhood hunger steals opportunities and dims futures."" In a 2009 survey of 740 teachers nationwide, 62% reported that some students in their K-8 classrooms come to school hungry every week." Although children from low-income families qualify for free or reduced-price breakfast at school, 10 million eligible kids don't get any," either because of the stigma attached to receiving help or because turbulence in their lives keeps them from getting to school on time. Low-income families are more likely than middle-income families to live in substandard housing, which is associated with exposure to lead paint, asbestos, mold, aeclorg I The Annie E. Casey Foundation SEVERAL MAJOR FACTORS UNDERMINE GRADE-LEVEL READING PROFICIENCV "[C]urrently, most children experience a wide range of disparate experiences that jumble together and end up requiring our youngest learners to figure them out on their own. Our children are not failing to learn. Our schools are failing to teach them effectively. To reverse this trend and provide children with the skills necessary for life-long learning, all Americans must take responsibility for guaranteeing a high-quality PreK-3rd education to this and future generations." FRIJM "America's Vanishing Potential: The Case for PreK-3rd Education," by the Foundation for Child Development (2008). AT roaches, and rodents. These conditions can affect children's cognitive functioning and behavior, and can increase the incidence of asthma, which can cause school absences. In some locations, the rates of these health problems are very high. Separate surveys found that asthma rates in Boston public housing were significantly higher than the national average and that 68% ofchildren attending a pediatric clinic in inner-city Philadelphia had unsafe levels of lead in their blood." Low-income families also are more likely than middle-income families to move frequently, often causing their children to change schools mid-year. Mobility rates are higher among low-income households and in distressed neighborhoods than for higher- income households and homeowners." High levels of student mobility "undermine educational outcomes not only for individual students but also for the schools they The ranks of transient and homeless students have grown in the current economy due to parental job loss and the destabilizing effects of the foreclosure crisis. Students who have changed schools two or more times in the previous year are half as likely as their stable peers to read well," and third-graders who changed schools frequently are 2.5 times more likely to repeat a grade. Too many children find their prospects for success in school damaged and disrupted by other family-related stressors. Young children exposed to family violence, parental depression, and abuse and neglect are considerably more likely to experience problems that interfere with Children in low-income families are dispro- portionately more likely to have their families disrupted by entrance into the child welfare system and having to change neighborhoods and schools. Language deficits, hyperactivity, depression, anxiety, and disengagement all are associated with these sources of chronic or "toxic" mn EARLY Why Reading by the End ol Third Grade Matters aecl.org I The Annie Casey Foundation I Z1 We must challenge not only the methods and the means that we've used in the past but also the yardsticks that we've used to measure our progress Our strategy to meet these noble national goals is founded in common sense and common values. lt's ambitious but, with hard work, it's within our reach." President George H.W. Bush ATTHE PRESENTATIUN Getting more young children to read proficiently is no mission impossible. Much is already known about the science of how people learn to read and how to impart reading skills. The National Institute for Child Health and Development has produced extensive research on the topic for nearly five decades," and the National Reading Panel identified five essential components of reading instruc- Many reading and teaching experts have further specified what needs to happen in the classroom to help children learn to read. High-quality reading and enrich- ment programs based on this knowledge, as well as efforts to develop children's social-emotional skills and to empower parents as coaches and advocates for their young readers, already operate in many classrooms, schools, churches, libraries, and community centers across the country. There are many sterling examples of places where the achievement gap in reading is being eliminated for low- income students, and lots of high-proHle organizations and philanthropies have America Can Solve the Crisis in Grade-Level Reading Proficiency stepped up as champions of grade-level reading proficiency, Despite this considerable effort, current policies and funding streams are too fragmented, programs too segmented by children's age and developmental stage, and key interventions too partial to get widespread positive results. (A 2008 analysis lists more than 100 federal pro- grams and sources for funding children's services in eight different categories of Twenty-two years ago, while analyzing why so little ofwhat is known to work gets applied in practice, Lisbeth Schorr wrote of "traditions which segregate bodies ofinformation by profes- sional, academic, political, and bureaucratic boundaries" and a world in which "complex intertwined problems are sliced into manageable but trivial Around the same time, sid Gardner wrote that "we end up contributing our money, and more important, our political and spiritual energy, to building a fragmented 'non- system' of well-meaning, specialized Sadly, both observations are still true today. EARLY Why Reading bythe End ol Third Grade Matters aecl.org I The Annie Casey Foundation I Z3 FIVE Essent1al Components of Reaclmg Instruct1on In 1997, Congress asked the Director of the National Institute of Child Health and Human Development and the Secretary of Education to convene a national panel on reading. The Panel reviewed extensive research, conducted public hearings, and consulted with leading education organizations to gather knowledge on effective approaches for teaching children to read. In 2000, the Panel issued five essential components of reading instruction, which are included in the best reading instruction programs today: Phonemic awareness: Ability to manipulate sounds in words Phonics: Knowledge of relationships between written letters and sounds Vocabulary: Understanding the meaning of words in reading and in written and spoken language Fluency: Ability to read rapidly Comprehension: Ability to gain meaning while reading These elements also are reflected in the Foundational Skills section of the draft "Common Core State Standards for English Language Arts and Literacy in History/Social Studies and Science" released in March 2010. The introduction to this section explains that "1'hese not an end in and of themselves; rather, they are necessary and important components of an effective, comprehensive reading program designed to develop proficient readers with the capacity to comprehend texts across a range of types and disciplines." The proposed standards place vocabulary acquisition and use in a separate strand "because their importance extends beyond writing and reading." IDE "Teaching Children to Read: An Evidence-Based Assessment of the Scientific Research Literature on Reading and Its Implications for Reading Instruction," National Reading Panel (2000). Available at nicl1d.nil1.g0\L 24 I EARLY Why Reading by the End of Third Grade Matters aecf.org I TneAnnleE Casey Foundation This is the right time to take on the challenge of dramatically increasing the number of children, especially from low- income families, who read proficiently. Both Congress and the administration have taken up the reauthorization ofthe Elementary and Secondary Education Act (No Child Left Behind). The administration has published its BIueprint]%rReform, and congressional hearings have been scheduled. The nation's governors and chief state school officers, working through their respective national organizations, have prepared and published for comment the preliminary draft ofthe "Common Core State Standards," which raise expectations for what American children need to know and be able to do. Dozens of meetings and thousands of comments provide ample evidence of widespread public interest in ending the race to the bottom and achieving more effective alignment across the curriculum and along the "cradle to career" continuum. These major policy opportunities affirm broad bipartisan support for the initiatives undertaken by Secretary Duncan and the Department of Education. This bipartisan support is augmented by steadfast advocacy by the Business Coalition for Student Achievement; United Way's long-standing commitment to early success; the increasingly influential work of Ameri- ca's Promise Alliance; and Mission: Readiness, a group of retired military officers who believe that our nation's AMERICA CAN SOLVE THE CRISIS IN GRADE LEVEL READING PROFICIENCV security requires ensuring that children are ready for and prepared to succeed in school. Alongwith the still-to-be- announced Presidential Early Learning Council, these developments present unprecedented venues, forums, incentives, and opportunities to move the needle on grade-level reading proficiency by the end of third grade. We offer the following recommenda- tions with those opportunities in mind, as well as a two-part caveat. First, if there is one theme uniting all of the issues involved in America's reading crisis, it is the certainty that no single response offers a total solution. It will take both wide-ranging and carefully targeted actions and initiatives to help more students read proficiently by the end of third grade so they can take on the learning tasks associated with fourth grade and beyond. The recommendations that follow acknowledge the important roles that distinct fields, sectors, and constituencies must play, but it is the collective and cumulative effect ofthese actions that will make the difference. Second, we don't want people to stop doing good work within their sectors. We do want to see those efforts intensified and accelerated, better aligned, and better applied in pursuit ofa clearly articulated, measurable, achievable goal; increasing the number and proportion of children, especially from low-income families, who read proficiently by the end of third grade. EARLY Why Reading oy the End ol Third Grade l\/latters aecl.or;f I The Annie Casey Foundation I Z5 AMERICA CAN SOLVE THE CRISIS IN GRADE-LEVEL READING PROFICIENCV RECOMMENDATION 1 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. We applaud the Obama Administration's decision to create a Presidential Early Learning Council and to extend its scope from birth through age 8. We encourage the Council to pay special attention to the need for a coherent early care and education system at the federal level, as the entry point to what the President and Secretary Duncan call a "cradle-to-career educational pipe- line," and develop practical suggestions for how to support, encourage, and incentivize state and local governments to create similar systems. The Council can and should put a stake in the ground at the key destina- tion of third-grade reading and then map backward, bridging the divisions that now exist between professionals and disciplines organized around a particular developmen- tal period or milestone. We need a more systematic and coordi- nated approach to early care and education to ensure that children are born healthy; develop on track; and have the experiences, supports, and resources needed to master the tasks and skills that lead to healthy child development and school success-regardless ofthe type ofprogram they attend or their ethnicity, geographic location, economic Z6 I EARLY Why Reading bythe End ol Third Grade Matters status, language spoken, parental education level, or special health-care needs. What currently exists is not a system at all, but a chaotic assortment of fragmented or unevenly available public and private programs supported by categorical funding streams, many of which would be far more effective ifintentionally linked as part ofa coherent system of early childhood services. Replacing the fragmented parts with a true system not only would reflect good science on child development, it makes good economic sense. Economist James Heckman has determined that investments in low- income young children's healthy development are more economically efficient than efforts to address problems as children age, in part because early skills make it easier and more efficient to develop later ones. He has documented a rate of return on investment for early childhood programs that serve low-income children of 7% to 10%, "[exceeding] the historical rate of return to equity of around In a similar review of early childhood develop- ment studies, Burr and Grunewald found return rates of 7% to 20% in the form of higher earnings and tax payments by children and parents, reduced use of aecl.org I The Annie E. Casey Foundation welfare, and the creation of a larger, more qualified workforce." The benefit-cost ratios offour early childhood enrichment programs ranged from $3 to $17 for every dollar invested, with benefits accruing "not only to program participants but also the non-participating A more effective system must be organized to achieve clear, interrelated results. The system we envision would promote a widely shared focus on these target results; Children born healthy; Children healthy, thriving, and develop- ing on track (no untreated health conditions or avoidable developmental delays), from birth through third grade and beyond; Children developmentally ready (cognitively, socially, physically, and emotionally) to succeed in school at the time of school entry; and Children prepared to succeed in fourth grade and beyond by reading profi- ciently by the end of third grade. A system must also encompass the capaci- ties needed to achieve its target results. The early care and learning system we envision would develop and promote these basic capacities, resources, and tools: Consistent, aligned expectations for children's healthy development from birth through third grade that link early childhood, child care, preschool, and K-3 education. This would include a focus on children's healthy social- emotional development, as well as cognitive development. AMERICA CAN SOLVE THE CRISIS IN GRADE LEVEL READING PROFICIENCV Appropriate, comparable instruments for measuring results along the contin- uum from birth through age 8 that are based on common standards for early childhood programs and practitioners. Content-rich, developmentally appro- priate curricula linked to standards and assessments. The infrastructure, knowledge, incen- tives, and accountability structures needed to collect and analyze data, making it possible to track children's progress toward results from birth through third grade, individualize teaching strategies, and intervene when needed. An aligned professional development system, and sufficient compensation, to ensure a well-trained, competent, and qualified workforce in birth-to-5 services and child care and in pre-K to third grade, including infant health specialists, early childhood developmen- tal specialists, preschool and K-3 teachers, principals, health and mental health professionals, school social workers, nurse home visitors, and child trauma Provision of high-quality resources, networks, services, supports, and programming to help children develop on track between birth and third grade. Seamless transitions between each stage on the child development and education continuum so that experiences at each stage (age birth to 3, birth to 5, pre- kindergarten, and K-3) build on the previous one and lay essential ground- work for the one to come. EARLY Why Reading by the End of Third Grade Matters aectorgf I The Annie Casey Foundation I Z7 AMERICA CAN SOLVE THE CRISIS IN GRADE-LEVEL READING PROFICIENCV "The artificial divisions between early childhood, elementary and secondary, and postsecondary systems create gaps and poor coordination in our education pipeline, wasting much of our public investment in human capital. To create a seamless educational pipeline capable of preparing our nation's young people for success in work and life, we must bring these disparate educational systems into greater alignment with one across all levels of the education system, and provid[e] a more consistent educational experience at each of these levels." FRIJM Next Social Contract for the Primary Years of Education," by Lisa Guernsey and Sara Mead (March 2010). AVAILABLE AT New America Foundation, Encouragement for reading embedded in the agencies and institutions that work and interact with young children and families. Funding that is linked to compliance with common quality standards and is flexible, blendable, and sufficient for the continuum of services and supports needed to get children ready for school and to provide school experiences that help them become strong readers. Universal access to, and greater use of, high-quality programs for child care, early learning, school readiness, pre- school, K-3, after-school, and summer learning experiences. Access to high-quality, affordable, comprehensive health care (including preventive, acute, emergency, and chronic care) for physical, mental, and oral health for all families with infants and young children. l> Establishment of medical homes and primary care practices that focus broadly on children's healthy development, building on exemplary programs such as Help Me Grow and Reach Out and Read, and drawing from Bright Futures. Some funders and stakeholder groups have already taken steps to link early childhood, preschool, and in-school education; other good work focuses on a portion of the continuum. We are encouraged by the number ofpeople, organizations, and advocates who recognize the interdepen- dence among pieces of the continuum and who embrace the need to focus on results. We now need to apply that focus to aligning, sequencing, and coordinating collaborative Work across the birth-to-third- grade spectrum with the goal of increasing reading proficiency by the end of third grade, within a context that takes full account ofthe social, emotional, and other non-cognitive factors that are essential to the healthy development ofyoung children. Z8 I EARLY Why Reading by the End ol Third Grade Matters aecI.org I The Annie E. Casey Foundation :nuff - - 1-ure 1 2 "f AMERICA CAN SOLVE THE CRISIS IN GRADE-LEVEL READING PROFICIENCV RECOMMENDATION 2 Encourage ancl enable parents, families, ancl caregivers to play their indispensable roles as co-proclucers of good outcomes for their chilclren. The challenge of helping families improve children's reading proficiency falls to all of us: policymakers, funders, system leaders, frontline practitioners, child advocates, community activists, neighbors, and family members alike. There is no substitute for the parent or primary caregiver's role as a child's first teacher, best coach, and most concerned advocate. Yet we often take for granted that parents will acquire the awareness, skills, and supports they need to fulfill the obligations inherent in these essential roles. Low-income and less-educated parents want their children to succeed in school, but they are less likely to have positive experi- ences to draw upon in helping their children succeed or feel respected and supported by the school system. We pretend not to notice that fractured social networks, disrupted communities, lack of community resources, and other factors outside the home impede parents' ability to fulfill their role-and then we blame families for children's educational failures. We are even less likely to notice when parents are simply unaware of how important early literacy and third-grade reading proficiency are to their children's futures or are unsure ofhow to help their children become proticient. The parent's role begins early and covers a lot of ground. Parents should read to and converse with their very young children to instill the language and vocabu- lary skills that lead to proficient reading later on. They should cultivate ajoy of learning, a sense that reading is pleasurable, 30 I EARLY Why Reading by the End ol Third Grade l\/latters and a desire for education-and then make sure their children show up for school every day. Parents should understand why it's important to read proticiently by the end of third grade and then proactively monitor their child's progress toward that goal. They should encourage their children to choose reading as a free-time activity. If a child struggles to read, the parent has to be able to find and mobilize the necessary help from teachers, schools, education specialists, and/or medical professionals-something that low-income parents with low levels of education, and recent immigrants, may be uncomfortable doing. Parents should find after-school activities for their children that provide literacy enrichment and summer learning activities that protect against summer learning loss. Parents who can't read should develop their own literacy skills and, when necessary, English language skills so they can help their children succeed in school. In summary, we need to help parents and caregivers succeed in ensuring that their children attend every day, achieve every year, and attain over time. We also need to encourage and help parents to complete their own education, both as a way to improve families' economic self- sufficiency and because of the positive impact it has on children's school success. Across the country, many organizations already are engaged in difficult and impor- tant efforts to promote successful parenting, generally, and parental support for early literacy and reading, in particular. We acknowledge and applaud this work. aecl.o|g I The Annie E. Casey Foundation Community Schools Engage Parents as Partners This report does not explore the many strategies for engaging parents in their children's education. However, the community-schools strategy bears mentioning as one of the most prevalent and successful approaches. Community schools operate as community hubs, bringing together many partners to offer education, health and social services, and youth and community development for children, young people, parents, and other community members during extended hours and weekends. Secretary of Education Arne Duncan, who, as Superintendent of Chicago Public Schools, oversaw the development of a thriving community-schools program, has said, "Where the school becomes a center of community life, great things are going to happen he more we open our school buildings to the community, the more we work together, not just with our children but the families, the more we create an environment where the students can maximize their academic potential." SUURGE Secretary of Education Arne Duncan, speaking on PBS's Charlie Rose program, March 13, 2009. Education Support for Children 1n Foster Care 1'he Fostering Connections to Success and Increasing Adoptions Act of 2008 (PL 110-351) requires that case plans for children in foster care ensure educational stability. 1'he new provisions are an important step toward helping foster children attend school more regularly, achieve more every year, and attain more over time. 1'he law requires state child welfare agencies to coordinate with schools to ensure that a child does not change schools when entering foster care (unless remaining in the original school is contrary to the child's best interests). If it is in the child's best interests to change schools, then the law requires immediate enrollment and transfer of educational records. It also permits states to claim the cost of transporting a student who is in foster care back to his or her original school, as part of the foster care maintenance payment. The law supports regular attendance and high school graduation by requiring states to ensure that all children who receive Title IV-E foster care, kinship guardianship, or adoption assistance payments be full-time students or have completed a secondary school. SIJUR EE Fostering Connections Resource Center. Available at EARLY Why Readlng bythe End ol Grade Matters aecl.org I The Annle E. asey Foundatlon I 31 AMERICA CAN SOLVE THE CRISIS IN GRADE-LEVEL READING PROFICIENCV RECOMMENDATION 3 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. The U.S. Department of Education is providing an unprecedented level of support and leadership for school reform, including the competitive programs Race to the Top Fund, Investing in Innovation Fund, and Promise Neighborhoods Initiative. The requirements for those funding streams, and for the American Recovery and Rein- vestment Act (ARRA) of2009, incentivize some key elements necessary for school transformation, including demanding, content-rich curricula; powerful instruc- tion; meaningful assessments; and well-trained teachers. To close achievement gaps, increase graduation rates, and retain high-quality educators, Secretary Duncan has placed a priority on approaches that improve teaching practices, put the best teachers in schools where they're needed most, and turn around chronically low-performing schools. To move more students toward proficiency and world-class competitive- ness, he has taken steps to promote top-quality assessments and to create data systems that track students "from the cradle to college," linking students to teachers as a 32 I EARLY Why Reading bythe End of Third Grade Matters way to monitor progress and improve classroom instruction. This more muscular approach by the federal government may be controversial in some quarters, but it is aligned with the best and most promis- ing proposals and initiatives supported by leading research and advocacy organiza- tions, education coalitions, and private funders. We applaud these steps and encourage ongoing efforts to align strong curricula, instruction, teachers, and assessments between early care and education and K-3 education. The continuing challenge is for all of us to become more explicit, consistent, and insistent about the importance of achieving measurable results, in the form of improved student outcomes and educator effectiveness. The rigorous pursuit of results is a formi- dable and sustainable force for change. It allows diverse stakeholders to focus on common goals and aspirations, collaborate across professional and political boundaries, mobilize joint action, and sustain effort. It encourages comparisons of progress across interventions and over time, making it aecI.org I The Annie E. Casey Foundation F1ncl1ngs About Young Language Learners Although this KIDS COUNT Special Report does not respond to the special concerns and challenges of children who are English Language Learners (ELL), we recognize that this is an important and increasingly urgent issue. We intend to support state and local work to ensure that English Language Learners are not left behind in the effort to dramatically improve reading proficiency by the end of third grade. All young children are capable of learning two languages. Becoming bilingual has long-term cognitive, academic, social, cultural, and economic benefits, Bilingualism is an asset. Young ELL students require systematic support for the continued development of their home language. Loss ofthe home language has potential negative long-term consequences for the ELL child's academic, social, and emotional development, as well as for the family dynamics. Teachers and programs can adopt effective strategies to support home language development even when the teachers are monolingual English speakers. Dual-language programs are an effective approach to improving academic achieve- ment for ELL children, while providing benefits to native English speakers. Spanish-speaking children enter kindergarten with many social that are the result of positive parenting practices that need to be acknowledged and enhanced. Hispanic parents value high-quality early education and will enroll their young children if programs are affordable and accessible. IIE "Challenging Common About Young English Language Learners." Linda Espinoza (2008). Available frorn the Foundation for Child Developrnent, wWW.fcd-us.0rg. EARLY Why Reading bythe End of Third Grade Matters aecf.org I The Annie E. Casey Foundation I 33 AMERICA CAN SOLVE THE CRISIS IN GRADE-LEVEL READING PROFICIENCV possible to select the strategies most likely to produce positive results in a specific context. It pushes local systems and practitioners to identify the populations that need to be reached and served in order to achieve population-level and community- wide changes for children. A "results- driven" approach requires back-mapping from the goal to the setting of ambitious but achievable targets and timelines, using data to set baselines and track progress, making reasonable adjustments in both targets and strategies as the situation demands, and holding everyone accountable for the results, not just their effort. A clear articulation of targets, milestones, and timelines would be an immeasurably valuable contribution to the already unprecedented efforts underway to achieve the goal set out inA Blueprintfor Reform: The Reauthorization ofthe Elemen- tary and Secondary Education Act, which calls on states, districts, and schools to "aim for the ambitious goal of all students graduat- ing or on track to graduate from high school ready for college and a career by 2020.""2 The business community is not alone in its advocacy of world-class standards for student achievement. Secretary Duncan's Department of Education is well aligned with those who call for higher, clearer, and more rigorous state standards for reading proiiciency in order to counteract the race to the bottom and return the United States to global competitiveness. One of the four assurances states must make when applying for ARRA school improvement funds is that they are making progress toward adopting "rigorous standards that prepare students for success in college and the workforce." The state-driven Common Core State Standards Initiative offers a promising alternative to mandated national standards. 34 I EARLY Why Reading by the End oi Third Grade Matters The Initiative is a partnership ofthe National Governors Association, the Council of Chief State School Officers, ACT, the College Board, and Achieve, Inc., with financial support from several foundations. Initiative leaders aspire to produce clear, understandable standards with "rigorous content and application of knowledge through high-order skills," that "are informed by other top-performing coun- tries, so that all students are prepared to succeed in our global economy and society; and are evidence- and The K-12 standards are intended to detine the knowledge and skills students should have in order to graduate from high school "able to succeed in entry-level, credit- bearing academic college courses and in workforce training programs.""' To date, 48 states and the District of Columbia have joined this voluntary effort to develop and adopt internationally benchmarked, evidence- or research-based standards for K-I2 English-language arts and mathematics. We applaud this effort and the remarkable progress made to date. The draft "Common Core State Standards for English Language Arts and Literacy in History/Social Studies and Science" set requirements not only for English language arts, but also for reading, writing, speaking, listening, and language in the social and natural sciences, which underscores a comprehensive and integrated approach to teaching and learning. However, the move to more rigorous standards should also complement and reinforce the aspirations of a more coherent, aligned, and integrated birth-through-third-grade system. That's why we urge partners in the Common Core State Standards Initiative to accelerate efforts to link K-I2 standards to standards for early care and education from birth through kindergarten entry. aecimg I The Annie E. Casey Foundation 5NNQ -z - - _'in - .J F.. ?lgf 4- I *Li ff; 5/ 1; 'Qu 2/1* 5' fflAMERICA CAN SOLVE THE CRISIS IN GRADE-LEVEL READING PROFICIENCV We cannot have equity without quality. And we cannot have true quality without real equity. All children, regardless of skin color, ethnicity or socioeconomic status, deserve access to high-quality education and a fair and substantive Opportunity to Learn As a nation, we must recognize that the strength of our public schools is directly and unbreakably bound to our social, civic and economic strength. Access to a high- quality public education should be a guaranteed right that every American enjoys, regardless of his or her race, ethnicity, socio-economic status, or zip code." FRIJM "Lost Opportunity: A 50 State Report on the Opportunity to Learn in America," by the Schott Foundation for Public Education (2009). AVAILABLE AT To protect against additional unintended and perverse consequences of raising standards, we also need to commit explic- itly to making sure that all children have access to high-quality learning environ- ments, resources, and supports. Raising standards for content and performance does not, by itself, close the achievement gap. In fact, the gaps are Widest in some states that have the highest standards, because low- income children have fewer opportunities (and more obstacles) to obtain the resources and learning environments needed to meet the standards. While holding students, teachers, and schools to higher standards of achievement, We-the federal, state, and local education systems; partners in the standards movement; schools, nonprofit organizations, and private-sector partners; and private funders-also need to ensure access to the resources that afford every child the opportunity to learn; lv Adequate school funding; Qualified, experienced teachers for all students, especially the students who need them most; 36 I EARLY Why Reading by the End ol Third Grade Matters lr Extra support for English language learners to help them master the language and content, including extra time for individualized instruction and materials that are relevant; lr Facilities that are safe, healthy, inviting welcoming, and conducive to teaching and learning; IV Technology to support learning and assessment in the classroom and online; and Hands-on, literacy-rich activities that make learning in and outside School engaging and fun. We applaud those who are addressing this issue and urge more widespread attention to the critically important task of linking rigorous standards with equitable opportu- nities to learn. aecI.org I The Annie E. Casey Foundation A Proposed Comprehensive Response to Chron1c Absence From School Prepare children for entry into school through high-quality early care and education experiences, characterized by well-trained staff; low student/staff ratios; safe facilities; and culturally, linguistically, and developmentally appropriate curricula. Ensure access to preventive health care, especially as children enter school. This may include not only expanding enrollment in children's health insurance, but also providing children with immunizations and comprehensive screenings (vision, dental, hearing, and developmental delays). Offer a high-quality education that responds to the diverse learning styles and needs of students. When the educational experience engages children's interest and meets their learning needs, families are much more likely to feel that going to school is Engage families of all backgrounds in their children's education. Attendance improves when schools create a wide variety of opportunities for families from all back- grounds to support their child's learning. Educate parents about the importance of attendance. Encourage families to help each other attend school. Offer incentives for excellent attendance to all children, such as materials (pencils or toys), acknowledgment in class or at morning assembly, extra recess time, opportunities to dress casually if uniforms are required. Conduct early outreach to families with poor attendance and, if appropriate, case management to address social, medical, economic, and academic needs. Coordinate public-agency and, if needed, legal response for families in crisis. IIE "Present, Engaged, and Accounted For: The Critical Importance ofAddressing Chronic Absence in the Early Grades," by Hedy N. Chang and Mariajose Romero (2008). Available at nccp.org. EARLY Why Readmg bythe End of Grade Matters aeclorg I The Anme E. Casey Foundatxon I 37 AMERICA CAN SOLVE THE CRISIS IN GRADE-LEVEL READING PROFICIENCV RECOMMENDATION 4 Find, develop, and deploy practical and scalable solutions to two of the most significant contributors to the under-achievement of children from low- income families-cl'ironic absence from school and summer learning loss. Content-rich, demanding curricula and powerful instruction by well-trained teach- ers may not matter much to students who are not in school. As detailed earlier, too many children miss too many days of school to have a reasonable chance of making a year's progress during the school year. Moreover, as teachers can attest, even those children who are present, engaged, and learning during the school year return to school at the end of summer significantly behind where they were at the end ofthe prior school year. This two-steps-forward- one-step-back phenomenon is now as well documented as it is frustrating to teachers. Research and practice show us that a few simple steps can address chronic absence. State policymakers and school districts can change the way they track attendance data so that they can more easily discern absence patterns for individ- ual students and schools. They need to use this information as an early warning system for students, or entire schools, headed off 38 I EARLY Why Reading bythe End ol Third Grade Matters track. And they need to develop interven- tions that engage parents, teachers, schools, and communities. The newly formed Attendance Counts project urges a comprehensive community-wide effort to "nurture a culture and expectation of regular school attendance." Similarly, because the problem of summer learning loss is so prevalent, it is not unreasonable to expect curricula compo- nents designed to provide some accelerated refresher and review. The work of the National Summer Learning Association and others suggests that the solution to summer learning loss may lie not only in expanding access to language-rich summer learning opportunities, but also in more innovative and widespread deployment of technology. We may need to recruit schools, libraries, and community-based programs to help more children and their families use technol- ogy for reading and learning and encourage more children to use online tools and games for self-directed or group learning projects. aecl.org I The Annie E. Casey Foundation Practices to Boost Summer Learning for Low-Income Kids A research review by Child Trends suggests that these program practices may help reduce summer learning loss for low-income children: Academic content that complements curricular standards and is taught by at least one experienced, trained teacher per classroom Academic classes that are limited to 15 students, with at least two adults Group learning, complemented by individual support Fun, hands-on activities that are used to teach concepts that are grounded in a real-world context SUUIIGE VI/hat Worksfor Summer LearningProgramsji7rLow-Income Children and Youth; Preliminary Lessons From ExperimentalEvaluations ofSocialInterventions, by Mary Terzian and Kristin A. Moore (September 2009). Available at After School Programs Can Foster Literacy Especially for English Language Learners "Language acquisition is a complex and inherently social process, calling for varied learning opportunities beyond the reach of schools alone Good after-school programming motivates children to use their English to participate in games, activities, and proiects. Supportive adult and peer relationships that develop without the pressure of grades and tests help children feel safe using their emerging English and allow them to take risks, going further with new vocabulary and constructions "With its informal environment, learner- centered and project-based approaches, homework time, lower student-to-staff ratios, and greater interaction with parents, after-school offers richly different language-learning opportunities that complement ELL teaching and learning during the school day. This highly communicative social setting is fertile ground for helping students expand their language skills, develop as students, and connect with schooling." SIJUR EE Claudia Weisburd, Executive Director, Center for Afterschool Education at Foundations, Inc. Frorn "Gaining a Voice After School: VVl1y After-S cl1ool Programs Are a Powerful Resource for English-Language Learners." In Education Week, Vol. 27, Issue 25, pp. 28-9. EARLY Why Reading bythe End ol Third Grade Matters aecI.org I The Annie E. Casey Foundation I 39 A Call to Action This report has made the case for grade- Ievel reading proficiency by the end of third grade as a national priority, essential to closing the achievement gap, reducing dropouts, and growing the pool ofhigh school and college graduates we need for a skilled and educated workforce that can compete in a globalized economy and for armed forces to protect our national security. We have also argued that this is a solvable problem and offered recommenda- tions to that end. Now comes the time to turn argument to action. America's major education reforms of the past two decades have been both ambitious and, for the most part, bipartisan. At the 1989 Education Summit in Charlottes- ville, VA, President George H.W. Bush and the nation's governors reached a ground- breaking accord on six national education goals, produced by a panel chaired by then- Governor William J. Clinton. The goals, adopted in 1990, promised a generation of Americans that, by 2000, all children would start school ready to learn, the high school graduation rate would reach at least 90%, all students would demonstrate competency 40 I EARLY Wny Reading by tne End oi Tnird Grade Matters over challenging subject matter, U.S. students would be first in the world in math and science achievement, every school would provide an environment conducive to learning, and all adults would be literate and able to compete in a global economy. AMERICA 2000, the strategy President Bush proposed in 1991 to carry out the education goals, called for "new world standards" for what students should know and be able to do and for schools that would produce "extraordinary gains in student learning." In 1994, President Clinton's Goals 2000: Education America Act codified in law the goals promoted by AMERICA 2000; added two more to improve teacher professional development and parent participation; and challenged "every community, every school, and every state to adopt national standards of excellence [and] to measure whether schools are meeting those standards." And seven years later, passage of President George W. Bush's No Child Left Behind Act-legislation that Democratic Senator Edward Kennedy helped move through Congress-promised Americans that all students would become aeci.org I The Annie E. Casey Foundation A CALL TO ACTION retreat to mediocrity is wrong. To meet the demands of the 21st century, we have to expand opportunity for all and keep our commitment to leaving no child behind We owe it to America's children, parents and teachers to reinforce our commitment, not abandon it." Senator Edward Kennedy IN THE WASHINETUN PUSI ZS, ZDD1 at least proficient in reading/language arts, be taught by highly teachers, and graduate from high school. Today, these promises, all made with broad bipartisan support, remain unre- pealed-and mostly unkept. As a nation, we still owe our children a fair opportunity to graduate from high school "ready for college, ready for a career, ready for life." Similarly, we owe the nation's workforce, employers, colleges and universities, and armed forces a larger pool of high school graduates prepared to take up the responsi- bilities ofcitizenship and adulthood. The alternative future is one with an enormous loss in individual potential and an unaccept- able erosion of our nation's competitiveness, readiness, and ideals. That is why we conclude this essay with a challenge to the nation's educators and public officials- federal, state, and local alike: Keep the promises already made. We resolve to do our part, as well. Joining with philanthropic partners in a dozen-plus states representing every region of the nation, we will support a decade-long campaign to move the needle on grade-level reading proficiency. The estimated 4.3 million children born in the United States in 2010,"5 who will leave third grade in 2018-19, add clarity and moral urgency to this campaign. At least in these cooperating states, our 10-year goals are to (1) "close the gap" between the children of low-income rural and urban families and their higher- income counterparts; (2) increase by 50% the number and proportion of students who are grade-level proficient readers by the end of third grade; and (3) "raise the bar" so that these readers truly are proficient by the rigorous standards that will put them on track to graduate from high school and to compete with the rest of the world. These goals, owned and pursued by a "big tent" coalition ofparents, educators, advocates, ordinary citizens, public officials, and leaders in the faith, community, business, and military arenas, are within our reach. The Annie E. Casey Foundation Michael L. Eskew Chairman ofthe Board Patrick T. McCarthy President and CEO Douglas W. Nelson President Emeritus Ralph R. Smith Executive Vice President EARLY Why Reading by the End oi Third Grade Matters aecI.org I The Annie E. Casey Foundation I 41 -5- ll! |nd|cators fl - ,mtg (The state level that follow were selected because they reflect the wlde range of factors that |nf|uence and are rmpacted by early readlng proflclency Although the key 1nd1cator for th1s report IS the rate of 4th grade students scorlng below prolicnent on the Natnonal Assessment ofEducat1onal Progress (NAEP) read1ng test other 1nd1cators are lncluded to further 1llum1nate the challenges states face 1n ensur1ng educatlonal success for all students For example belng born low b1rthwe1ght and fa1l1ng to attend an early learn1ng program pr1or to elementary school entry can mHuence ch1ldren's school readtness and rn turn thetr early readmg proftcrency Fa1lure to read at grade level can lead to grade retent1on and 1n turn loss oflnterest and mot1vat1on to succeed 1n school All 1nd1cators perm1t leg1t1mate compar1sons across states because they are collected 1n the same \Vay11'1 every state by federal agencles and reilect the most recent data avallable V1s1t the COUNT Data Center onl1ne datacenter org to find data for countles and other commun1t1es for the 1nd1cators lncluded 1n th1s report as well as hundreds ofadd1t1onal1nd1cators that mfluence Well bemg 5396506096 6l%bo66% I 67%bo71% State Rank State United States N.R. 55% Missouri Alabama 37 72% Montana Alaska 42 73% Nebraska Arizona 45 75% Nevada Arkansas 35 71% New Hampshire California 45 75% Newlersey Colorado 5 55% New Mexico Connecticut 2 55% New Vork Delaware 17 55% North Carolina District of Columbia N.R. 53% North Dakota Florida 11 54% Dhio Georgia 35 71% Dklahoma Hawaii 43 74% Dregon Idaho 25 55% Illinois 25 55% Rhode Island Indiana 23 55% South Carolina Iowa 23 55% South Dakota Kansas 17 55% Tennessee Kentucky 11 54% Texas Louisiana 5D 52% Utah Maine 17 55% Vermont Maryland 5 53% Virginia Massachusetts 1 53% Washington Michigan 34 75% WestVirginia Minnesota 5 53% Wisconsin Mississippi 45 75% Wyoming EARLY Why Reading bythe End ol Third Grade Matters lull] I 72% to 82% Nank 54% 55% 55% 75% 55% 511% 511Not Ranked. 4th graders who scored below proficient reading level 2009 68% 68% of 4th grade public school students in the United States scored below proficient reading level in 2009. Rates vary from a high of 82% in Louisiana to a low of 53% in Massachusetts. DEFINITIUN Fourth grade students who scored below proficient as measured and defined by the National Assessment ofEduca- tional Progress (NAEP) reading test in 2009. NUTES Estimates for number of students represented are not available. Data include public school students only and there- fore national data may not match other data cited in the report for all students. SUURGE U.S. Department of Education, National Center for Education Statistics, National Assessment of Educational Progress (NAEP), 2009 Reading Assessment. Find more state- and community- Ievel data at the KIDS COUNT Data Center: datacenter.kidscuunt.urg aecl.org I The Annie E. Casey Foundation I 43 4th graders who scored below proficient reading level BY RACE AND HISPANIC ORIGIN 2009 DEFINITIUN Fourth grade students vi. ho scored below prohcient as measured and by the National Assessment ol' Educational I'1'o;;1'ess (NAEP) reading test in 2009, lu) race and Hispanic origin. NUTES Estimates l`o1'numlue1'ol` students represented are not a\ ailalule_ Data include pululic scliool students only and there- l`o1'e national data ma) not matcli other data cited in the report l`o1' all students. Race categories exclude Hispanic origin. Results are not slion l`o1' students it liose race oi' Hispanic o1'i"in was nor classilied. sou nor Us Depm-[mem ol' Education, National Center l`o1' Education Statistics, National Assessment ol' Educational I'1'o;;1'ess (NAEP), Reading Assessment. Find more slate- and community- level data at the KIDS COUNT Data Center: dalacenler.kidscuunl.urg S1218 United States Alahama Alaska Arizona Arkansas Calilornia Colorado Connecticut Delaware District ol Columbia Florida Georgia Hawaii Idaho Illinois Indiana Iowa Kansas Kentucky Louisiana Maine Maryland Massachusetts Michigan Minnesota Mississippi Missouri Montana Nehraska Nevada New Hampshire New lersey New Mexico New Vork North Carolina North Dakota Dhio Dklahoma Dregon Rhode Island South Carolina South Dakota Tennessee Texas Utah Vermont virginia Washington West Virginia Wisconsin Wyoming 59% 74% 52% 55% Black 55% 57% 57% 59% 55% 55% 73% 75% 51% 59% 52% 55% 52% 59% 55% 75% 59% 57% 91% 52% 51% 77% 91% 55% 99% 54% 51% 55% 72% 52% 57% 52% 55% 57% 59% 53% 55% 53% 59% 55% 59% 55% 71% 52% 79% 54% 91% Asian/ Pacilic Islander 52% 51% 59% 52% 47% 45% 43% 44% 47% 75% 57% 37% 54% 59% 44% 41% 44% 55% 55% 59% 52% 55% 35% 51% 45% 45% 57% 39% 79% 45% 79% 43% 55% 54% American Indian 75% 91% 55% 59% 54% 99% 52% 54% 73% 53% 59% 53% 73% 52% 51% "-"Dam suppressed because NAEP sample size reporting standards were not met Hispanic 54EARLY Why Reading bythe End ol Third Grade Matters aecI.org I The Annie Casey Foundation State United States Alahama Alaska Arizona Arkansas Calitornia Colorado Connecticut Delaware District ot Columhia Florida Eeorga Hawaii Idaho Illinois Indiana Iowa Kansas Kentucky Louisiana Maryland Massachusens Michigan Minnesota Mississippi Missouri Montana Nehraska Nevada New Hampshire Newlersey New Mexico New Vork North Carolina North Dakota Uhio Uklahoma Uregon Rhode Island South Carolina South Dakota Tennessee Texas Utah Vermont virginia Washington West Virginia Wisconsin Wyoming City 74% 75% 73% 75% 74% 75% 55% 73% 75% 53% 57% 75% 55% 55% 75% 73% 57% 55% 57% 54% 55% 74% 55% 53% 55% 57% 55% 52% 55% 77% 77% 75% 72% 55% 54% 75% 55% 55% 74% 72% 54% 73% 47% 55% 53% 71% 75% 55% Suhurh 54% 53% 55% 55% 75% 57% 53% 51% 53% 55% 75% 52% 54% 52% 55% 55% 55% 77% 45% 53% 45% 55% 53% 74% 55% 54% 75% 55% 55% 54% 55% 53% 57% 54% 55% 55% 51% 55% 75% 55% 55% 55% 51% 55% 55% 71% "-"Dam suppressed because NAEP reporting standards not were met EARLY Why Reading bythe End ot Third Grade Matters Town 72% 75% 55% 77% 72% 52% 52% 55% 75% 77% 55% 55% 55% 55% 55% 55% 57% 55% 55% 53% 71% 55% 55% 55% 51% 53% 73% 55% 55% 75% 74% 53% 55% 77% 57% 72% 75% 72% 55% 55% 72% 74% 55% 57% Rural 57% 71% 75% 75% 75% 54% 45% 55% 54% 74% 72% 52% 55% 55% 53% 55% 51% 55% 53% 45% 54% 52% 75% 53% 55% 55% 55% 55% 54% 52% 53% 55% 55% 54% 71% 72% 51% 57% 73% 55% 72% 71% 53% 55% 52% 72% 75% 57% 57% 4th graders who scored below proficient reading level sv LOCATION 2009 DEFINITIUN Fourth grnde students who scored below proficient as measured and defined by the Assessment nl' I'1'n;;1'ess (NAEP) rending test in by gen- NUTES Estimntes for numIue1'nl` students represented ure not my nilnlule nrens ure Iunsed nn US. Census describing tn nn urlunnized n1'en(n densely settled core tv ith densely settled surrounding; nrens) (City, Suburb, Ton n, Rumi). sou not Us Depot-[ment nl' Educntinn, for Educntinn Stntistics, Assessment nl' I'1'n;;1'ess (NAEP), Rending Assessment. Find more state- and community- Ievel data at the KIDS COUNT Data Center: datacenter.kidscuunt.urg I The Annie E. Casey Foundation I 45 4th graders who scored below proficient reading level sv income 2009 DEFINITIDN Fourth grade students who scored below proficient as measured and defined by the National Assessment of Educational Progress (NAEP) reading test in 2009, by level of family income. N8TES Estimates for number of students represented are not available. Data include public school students only and there- fore national data may not match other data cited in the report for all students. Family income is measured using students' eligibility for the National School Lunch Program, a federally assisted meal program, some- times referred to as the free/ reduced-price lunch program. Free or reduced-price lunches are offered to students with incomes below 185% of the poverty level. S88 REE U.S. Department of Education, National Center for Education Statistics, National Assessment of Educational Progress (NAEP), 2009 Reading Assessment. Find more state- and community- level data at the KIDS COUNT Data Center: datacenter.kidscuunt.urg State United States Alahama Alaska Arizon a Arkansas California Colorado Conn ecticut Delaware District of Columbia Florida Georgia Hawaii Idaho Illinois In dian a Iowa Kansas Kentucky Louisiana Maine Maryland Massachusetts Michigan Minnesota Mississippi Missouri Montan a Nehraska Neva da New Hampshire New lersey New Mexico New Vork North Carolina North Da kota Dhio Dklahoma Dregon Rhode Island South Carolina South Da kota Tenn essee Texa Utah Vermont Virginia Washington West Virginia Wisconsin Wyoming Eligible school 83% 84% 88% 87% 88% 88% 81% 82% 78% 81% 75% 82% 85% 78% 85% 88% 78% 78% 78% 87% 78% 82% 77% 85% 83% 88% 78% 78% 78% 87% 77% 83% 88% 78% 83% 78% 83% 82% 83% 81% 83% 85% 88% 83% 83% 81% 74% 82% 82% 83% 85% 78% Nui eligible schuull unch 55EARLY Why Reading by the End of Third Grade Matters aeclorg I The Annie Casey Foundation State School receives Title I Iunding School does not receive Title I1u United States Alahama Alaska Arizona Arkansas California Colorado Connecticut Delaware District of Columhia Florida Georgia Hawaii Idaho Illinois Indiana Iowa Kansas Kentucky Louisiana Maine Maryland Massachusetts Michigan Minnesota Mississippi Missouri Montana Nehraska Nevada New Hampshire Newlersey New Mexico New Vork North Carolina North Dakota Dhio Dklahoma Dregon Rhode Island South Carolina South Dakota Tennessee Texas Utah Vermont Virginia Washington WestVirginia Wisconsin Wyoming EARLY Why Reading by the End of Third Grade Matters 78% 78% 84% 85% 75% 88% 78% 71% 88% 88% 72% 78% 81% 73% 77% 77% 73% 71% 88% 84% 88% 81% 71% 88% 78% 81% 73% 73% 75% 87% 71% 73% 84% 78% 78% 71% 77% 78% 78% 78% 78% 78% 75% 78% 78% 77% 84% 78% 77% 77% 78% 73% ding 554th graders who scored below proficient reading level ev scHoo|_ income 2009 DEFINITIDN Fourth grade students who scored below proficient as measured and defined bythe National Assessment ofEduca- tional Progress (NAEP) reading test in 2009, by school income. NDTES Estimates for number of students represented are not available. Data include public school students only and there- fore national data may not match other data cited in the report for all students. School income is measured by whether or not the school has high rates oflow- income children and receives Title 1 funds to support school- wide programs. SDUREE U.S. Department of Education, National Center for Education Statistics, National Assessment of Educational Progress (NAEP), 2009 Reading Assessment. Find more state- and community- Ievel data at the KIDS COUNT Data Center: datacenter.kidscuunt.u1g aeclorg I The/Annie E. Casey Foundation I 47 Low-binhweight babies 2007 8.2% 8.2% of all babies born in 2007 in the United States were low birth- weight. Babies born less than 5.5 pounds are more likely to experience devel- opmental problems than are babies born at higher birthweights. DEF INITIIJN Live births weighingless than 2,500 grams (5.5 pounds). NIJTES Estimates for number ofbabies represented are not available. Data for Kansas were updated by the National Center for Health Statistics after the release of the preliminary report and therefore differs from the estimate in that report. SIJUREE National Center for Health Statistics, National Vital Statistics Report, Births: Preliminary Data for 2007, Vol. 57, No. 12. Find more state- and community- level data at the KIDS COUNT Data Center: datacenter.kidscuunt.urg ii wv I I: .. i 5.7% to 6.5% 6.6% ho 7.2% I 7.3% to 9.0% State Rank State United States N.R. 8.2% Missouri Alahama 48 18.4% Montana Alaska 1 5.7% Nehraska Arizona 15 7.1% Nevada Arkansas 38 8.1% New Hampshire California 12 5.8% Newlersey Colorado 37 8.8% New Mexico Connecticut 23 8.1% New Vork Delaware 43 8.3% North Carolina District of Columbia N.R. 11.1% North Dakota Florida 34 8.7% Dhio Georgia 38 8.1% Dklahoma Hawaii 21 8.8% Dregon Idaho 8 5.5% Illinois 38 8.5% Rhode Island Indiana 38 8.5% South Carolina Iowa 11 5.8% South Dakota Kansas 15 7.1% Tennessee Kentucky 43 8.3% Texas Louisiana 48 11.8% Utah Maine 4 5.3% Vermont Maryland 38 8.1% Virginia Massachusetts 28 7.8% Washington Michigan 24 8.2% WestVirginia Minnesota 8 5.7% Wisconsin Mississippi 58 12.3% Wyoming 9.1% ho 12.3% Rank 7.8% 7.2% 7.8% 8.2% 5.3% 8.5% 8.8% 8.2% 8.2% 5.3% 8.7% 8.2% 5.1% 8.4% 8.8% 18.1% 7.8% 8.4% 8.4% 5.7% 5.2% 8.5% 5.3% 8.5% 7.8% 8.1% NR. 1 Not Ranked 48 I EARLY Why Reading by the End ofTh1rd Grade Matters aeclorg I The Annie E. Casey Foundation lo M1 no wv 9' WV QP- ml] uri] lullData not available or do not meet reporting standards. S1218 Uniteil States Alahama Alaska Arizona Arkansas California Colorado Connecticut Delaware District of Columhia Florirla Georgia Hawaii Iilaho Illinois Imliana Iowa Kansas Kentucky Louisiana Maine Marylaml Massachusetts Michigan Minnesota Mississippi Rank N.N."-"Data suppressed when the total confidence interval ofthe percent estimate ts 10percentcge or greaten Number 4,700,000 77,000 12,000 155,000 45,000 570,000 53,000 34,000 14,000 247,000 152,000 17,000 35,000 150,000 125,000 44,000 45,000 50,000 51,000 10,000 51,000 55,000 140,000 00,000 45,000 30% 43% 45% 53% 30% 35% 30% 25% 40% 35% 37% 35% 50% 34% 45% 35% 40% 41% 33% 45% 37% 20% 35% 43% 35% Stale Rank Missouri 33 Montana 45 Nehraska 25 Nevarla 45 New Hampshire 0 Newlersey 1 New Mexico 30 New Vork 4 North Carolina 17 North Dakota 43 Dhio 20 Dklahoma 25 Dregon 35 21 Rhorle Islaml 5 South Carolina 17 South Dakota 30 Tennessee 20 Texas 33 Utah 30 Vermont N.R. Virginia 21 Washington 35 West Virginia 44 Wisconsin 25 Wyoming N.R. EARLY Why Reading bythe End ol Third Grade Matters Number 103,000 44% 10,000 52% 31,000 41% 57,000 55% 17,000 35% 54,000 25% 37,000 45% 213,000 31% 145,000 30% 12,000 40% 155,000 42% 54,000 41% 54,000 45% 175,000 40% 12,000 34% 50,000 30% 17,000 45% 102,000 42% 512,000 44% 72,000 45% 121,000 40% 113,000 45% 32,000 50% 55,000 41% NR. I Not Ranked. aecl.org I Children ages 3 to 5 not enrolled in nursery school, preschool, or kindergarten 2008 39% 39% of children ages 3 to 5 were not enrolled in nursery school, preschool, or kindergarten in 2008. Rates vary from a high of 58% in Nevada to a low of 25% in New Jersey. DEFINITIUN The share ofchildren ages to 5 not enrolled in nursery school, preschool, or kindergar- ten during the previous 2 months. NUTES Nursery schools and pre- schools where instruction is an integral part ofthe program are included, but private homes that primarily provide custodial care are not included. S00 RCE U.S. Census Bureau, 2002-I American Community Survey microdata. Find more slate- and cummunily- Ievel data al the KIDS COUNT Dala Center: dalacenler.kidscuunl.urg The Annie E. Casey Foundation I 49 Texas I Children ages 1 to 5 whose family members read to them fewer than 3 days per week '009State Rank United States N.R. 16% of children ages 1 30 to 5 were read to less than Naska 12 3 days per week by family Arima 42 members in 2007. Young . Arkansas 22 children whose parents read to them, tell stories, or 45 sing songs tend to develop CUIUVHUU 40 larger vocabularies. Connecticut 12 Delaware 20 District ot Columbia N.R. Florida 20 Georgia 40 Hawaii 3 Idaho 10 Illinois 34 Indiana 0 Iowa 12 DEFINITIUN Children ages 1 to Kansa; 22 whose family memhers read to 1 4" them less than 3 en uc sounce Us Department nl' Health Louisiana 43 a1\dHuma1\ Se1'\ ices, HRSA, Maine 1 Maternal and Child Health Bureau, ZUUZ The National 25 Su1'\ ey ol' Child1'e1\'s Health Massachusens 3 Michigan 10 Find more state- and community- 15 level data at the KIDS COUNT Data Mississippi 40 Center: datacenter.kidscuunt.urg 50 I EARLY Why Reading by the End of Third Grade Matters Number 3,132,000 45,000 5,000 70,000 24,000 532,000 53,000 20,000 7,000 5,000 141,000 151,000 5,000 13,000 125,000 42,000 10,000 22,000 45,000 50,000 3,000 40,000 23,000 00,000 37,000 40,000 1011% 11% 23% State Missouri Montana Nebraska Nevada New Hampshire Newlersey New Mexico New 'fork North Carolina Nor1h Dakota Dhio Dklahoma Dregon Rhode Island South Carolina South Dakota Tennessee Utah Vermont Virginia Washington Westvirginia Wisconsin Wyoming Rank Number 34 53,000 14% 0 5,000 0% 22 15,000 12% 40 30,000 21% 0 7,000 0% 43 100,000 20% 43 27,000 20% 20 150,000 13% 22 74,000 12% 0 4,000 0% 34 07,000 14% 34 35,000 14% 22 20,000 12% 30 103,000 15% 20 7,000 13% 20 37,000 13% 10 0,000 11% 10 44,000 11% 50 507,000 20% 10 27,000 11% 2 2,000 5% 22 50,000 12% 5 30,000 7% 12 11,000 10% 0 32,000 0% 0 3,000 0% NR 1Not Ranked aec1.org I The Annie E. Casey Foundation ml:be 2%to6% El 7%8o9% El 10%to13% State Rank Number State United States 5,204,000 11% Missuuri Alabama 48 128,000 17% Muntana Alaska 12 8,000 7% Nebraska Arizuna 28 112,000 10% Nevada Arkansas 38 84,000 14% New Hampshire Calilurnia 28 838,000 10% New lersey Culuradu 12 52,000 7% New Mexicu Cunnecticut 20 50,000 8% New Vurk Uelaware 43 20,000 15% Nurth Carulina District ut Culumbia N.R. 14,000 20% Nurth Uakuta Flurida 44 421,000 18% Uhiu Eeurgia 20 153,000 8% Uklahuma Hawaii 8 12,000 8% Uregun ldahu 12 18,000 7% Illinuis 20 188,000 0% Rhude Island Indiana 28 108,000 10% Suuth Carulina luwa 8 28,000 8% Suuth Uakuta Kansas 5 23,000 5% Tennessee Kentucky 44 108,000 18% Texas Luuisiana 50 183,000 25% Utah Maine 28 21,000 10% Vermunt Maryland 28 81,000 10% Virginia Massachusetts 28 88,000 10% Washingtun Michigan 17 140,000 8% West Virginia Minnesuta 2 35,000 4% Wiscunsin Mississippi 48 107,000 21% Wyuming EARLY Why Rea ding bythe End ol Third Grade Matters 25% Number 84,000 8% 14,000 8% 17,000 8% 30,000 7% 14,000 7% 75,000 5% 38,000 11% 255,000 8% 205,000 14% 8,000 8% 238,000 13% 88,000 18% 24,000 4% 183,000 10% 17,000 10% 114,000 18% 7,000 5% 135,000 14% 548,000 13% 8,000 2% 7,000 8% 108,000 8% 88,000 8% 37,000 14% 38,000 4% 8,000 8% NR 1 Not Ranked aecl.org I Children ages 6 to 17 who repeated one or more grades since starting kindergarten 2007 11% of school-aged children in 2007 repeated one or more grades since starting kindergarten. The National Sunley of ChiIdren's Health also shows that the likelihood of repeating a grade increases as a child gets older, with 13% of 12- to 17-year-olds having ever repeated a grade compared to 9% of 6- to 11-year-olds. IJEFINITIUN Children ages 0 to 17 ho repented one or more grndes since starting SUURGE Us. Depm-mtenr und Hut\\nn Sen ices_ HRSA. nd Child Henlth Bureau. 2001 The Nntionnl Sun et ol' Childt'en`s Henlth. Find more state- and community- Ievel data at the KIDS COUNT Data Center: datacenter.kidscuunt.urg The Annie E. Casey Foundation I 51 Teens ages school and are not high school graduates 2008 0/0 6% of U.S. teens ages 16 to 19 were not in school and were not high school graduates in 2008. The rate varies from a high of 10% in Alaska, Louisiana, Nevada, and New Mexico to a low of 3% in Iowa, Minnesota, and New Hampshire. DEFINITIUN Teenagers between the ages of 16 and 19 who are not enrolled in high school and are not high school graduates. NUTES Those who have a GED or equivalent are included as high school graduates. S00 RCE U.S. Census Bureau, 2002-I American Community Survey, American Table B14005. Find more state- and community- Ievel data at the KIDS COUNT Data Center: datacenter.kidscuunt.urg S1218 United States Alahama Alaska Arizona Arkansas California Colorado Connecticut Delaware District of Columbia Florida Georgia Hawaii Idaho Illinois Indiana Iowa Kansas Kentucky Louisiana Maine Maryland Massachusetts Michigan Minnesota Mississippi Rank Number State 1,122,000 5% Missouri 35 21,000 5% Montana 47 4,000 10% Nehraska 44 32,000 0% Nevada 44 15,000 0% New Hampshire 15 141,000 5% Newlersey 35 20,000 5% New Mexico 10 10,000 5% New Vork 25 4,000 7% North Carolina 3,000 7% North Dakota 25 55,000 7% Dhio 35 40,000 5% Dklahoma 35 5,000 5% Dregon 15 5,000 5% 15 44,000 5% Rhode Island 35 30,000 5% South Carolina 1 5,000 3% South Dakota 10 5,000 5% Tennessee 25 15,000 7% Texas 47 27,000 10% Utah 15 4,000 5% Vermont 15 20,000 5% Virginia 4 17,000 4% Washington 15 37,000 5% WestVirginia 1 5,000 3% Wisconsin 25 14,000 7% Wyoming 52 I EARLY Why Reading bythe End ol Third Grade Matters 10% Number 22,000 7% 5,000 0% 5,000 4% 13,000 10% 3,000 3% 15,000 4% 11,000 10% 52,000 5% 41,000 5% 3,000 7% 32,000 5% 15,000 5% 13,000 5% 37,000 5% 4,000 5% 15,000 7% 3,000 5% 23,000 7% 105,000 7% 12,000 7% 1,000 4% 10,000 4% 25,000 7% 5,000 5% 12,000 4% 2,000 5% NR. 1 Not Ranked aecl.org I The Annie E. Casey Foundation 8%bo10 S1218 United States Alabama Alaska Arizona Arkansas Calilornia Colorado Connecticut Delaware District ot Columbia Florida Georgia Hawaii Idaho Illinois Indiana Iowa Kansas Kentucky Louisiana Maine Maryland Massachusetts Michigan Minnesota Mississippi 20% Rank Number State Rank Number 4,325,000 14% Missouri 24 00,000 40 03,000 10% Montana 24 13,000 24 12,000 14% Nebraska 3 10,000 40 100,000 10% Nevada 40 42,000 50 55,000 20% New Hampshire 3 10,000 32 500,000 15% New lersey 14 02,000 14 55,000 12% New Mexico 40 30,000 7 33,000 10% New Vork 10 202,000 10 11,000 13% North Carolina 32 131,000 10,000 13% North Dakota 1 0,000 37 273,000 17% Uhio 24 155,000 40 170,000 10% Uklahoma 24 54,000 10 17,000 13% Uregon 32 52,000 24 21,000 14% 14 140,000 10 174,000 13% Rhode Island 12 12,000 24 00,000 14% South Carolina 40 70,000 1 25,000 0% South Dakota 7 0,000 7 20,000 10% Tennessee 40 00,000 40 72,000 10% Texas 37 400,000 40 07,000 10% Utah 7 32,000 32 17,000 15% Vermont 3 0,000 10 71,000 13% Virginia 14 02,000 7 00,000 10% Washington 10 00,000 32 145,000 15% West Virginia 40 32,000 3 45,000 0% Wisconsin 12 50,000 37 54,000 17% Wyoming 24 7,000 NR 1 Not Ranked Persons ages 18 to 24 not attending school, not working, and with a high school diploma or less 2008 111?/? 14% of 18- to 24-year- olds were not attending school, were not working, and had a high school diploma or less in 2008. The rate of disconnected young adults varies from a high of 20% in Arkansas to a low of 8% in Iowa and North Dakota. DEFINITIUN to 24 who (1) are not presently enrolled in tt rurkilxgg; and (3) l\a\ a high school diploma o1'less_ S00 RCE ILS. Census Bureau, ZUUX American Su1'\e5 mic1'odata_ Find more state- and community- Ievel data at the KIDS COUNT Data Center: datacenter.kidscuunt.urg EARLY Why Reading bythe End Grade Matters aec1.org I The Annie E. Casey Foundation I 53 Children in households where the household head is not a high school graduate 2008 16% 16% of children lived in households where the household head was not a high school graduate in 2008. The median income for someone with less than a high school degree was $23,000 compared to $48,000 for someone who obtained a bachelor's degree or higher. DEF INITIDN The shore here the household heod is not high school graduate. NDTES Those ho hme GED or eq ui\ olent ore included os high SDURGE ILS. Census Bureau, ZUUX American Community Su1'\ eg mic1'odoto_ Find more state- and community- level data at the KIDS COUNT Data Center: datacenter.kidscuunt.urg <1 5% to 8% State Rank United States N.R. Alabama 40 Alaska 2 Arizona 47 Arkansas 44 Calilornia 50 Colorado 35 Connecticut 10 Delaware 25 District ol Columbia N.R. Florida 25 Georgia 35 Hawaii 10 Idaho 24 Illinois 35 Indiana 32 Iowa 5 Kansas 21 Kentucky 32 Louisiana 40 Maine 1 Maryland 17 Massachusetts 10 Michigan 17 Minnesota 5 Mississippi 44 54 I EARLY Why Reading bythe End o1ThIrd Grade Matters 26% Number State Rank Number 11,455,000 15% Missouri 24 170,000 175,000 15% Montana 10 20,000 12,000 5% Nebraska 10 42,000 371,000 22% Nevada 45 150,000 115,000 17% New Hampshire 2 17,000 2,300,000 25% Newlersey 17 207,000 175,000 15% New Mexico 45 105,000 70,000 0% New Vork 40 552,000 27,000 13% North Carolina 40 350,000 10,000 17% North Dakota 5 11,000 535,000 13% Uhio 17 270,000 301,000 15% Uklahoma 32 127,000 25,000 0% Uregon 25 113,000 51,000 12% 21 205,000 475,000 15% Rhode Island 35 33,000 215,000 14% South Carolina 32 151,000 55,000 5% South Dakota 5 13,000 77,000 11% Tennessee 25 105,000 142,000 14% Texas 45 1,555,000 151,000 15% Utah 10 70,000 15,000 5% Vermont 2 5,000 135,000 10% Virginia 21 203,000 122,000 0% Washington 24 101,000 241,000 10% WestVirginia 24 47,000 02,000 7% Wisconsin 10 123,000 130,000 17% Wyoming 2 5,000 12Not Ranked aec1.org I The Annie E. Casey Foundation 55% State Rank Number State Rank Number United States N.R. 25,525,000 40% Missouri 30 557,000 Alabama 35 401,000 44% Montana 33 02,000 Alaska 5 53,000 30% Nebraska 17 151,000 Arizona 30 754,000 45% Nevada 25 257,000 Arkansas 40 353,000 53% New Hampshire 1 55,000 Calilornia 30 3,705,000 41% New lersey 5 543,000 Colorado 17 413,000 35% New Mexico 45 245,000 Connecticut 2 204,000 25% New Vork 23 1,552,000 Delaware 12 50,000 34% North Carolina 35 040,000 District ot Columbia N.R. 51,000 45% North Dakota 17 40,000 Florida 33 1,535,000 42% Uhio 25 1,045,000 Georgia 35 1,052,000 43% Dklahoma 44 420,000 Hawaii 5 75,000 27% Uregon 30 345,000 Idaho 30 155,000 45% 22 003,000 Illinois 21 1,144,000 35% Rhode Island 12 77,000 Indiana 25 515,000 40% South Carolina 30 475,000 Iowa 17 244,000 35% South Dakota 33 51,000 Kansas 23 252,000 35% Tennessee 42 552,000 Kentucky 42 453,000 45% Texas 44 3,125,000 Louisiana 47 521,000 45% Utah 12 254,000 Maine 23 101,000 35% Vermont 10 41,000 Maryland 2 340,000 25% Virginia 0 555,000 Massachusetts 2 372,000 25% Washington 12 521,000 Michigan 25 050,000 40% West Virginia 44 177,000 Minnesota 7 350,000 20% Wisconsin 12 437,000 Mississippi 50 414,000 55% Wyoming 10 41,000 41Not Ranked Children in low-income families (income below 200% of poverty level) 2008 40% 40% of children lived in low-income families (below $43,668 for a family of two adults and two chil- dren) in 2008. The rate varies from a high of 55% in Mississippi to a low of 24% in New Hampshire. DEFINITIUN The slmre unde1'n;;e1X tv lm li\e in lhmilies tv ith incomes less ot' the 1`ede1'nl pm err) le\ el. NUTES In ZUUX, lhmily ol' two ndults und tn ru children uns $43,668. Pm err) stntus is not determined for people in military iun1'1'nclo\veri>oint presentation prepared by the Schott Foundation for Public Education, slide s. an \v\v\v.nationsreportcard.gov. ll Bandeira de Mello, v, Blankenship, and McLaughlin, D.H. (znne). Mapping State Proficiency standards Onto NAEP scales: 2005-2007 (NcEs znln-456). washington, Dc: National Center for Education Statistics, Institute of Education Sciences, U.s. Department of Education, p. l7. az Dillon, s. (October sn, znne). "Federal Researchers Find Lower Standards in Sc hool The New York Times. Available at education/30educ.html. as Cronin, J., Dahlin, M. Adkins, D., and Kingsbury, cc. (znn7). ThePrn,H- eieney illusien_ Northwest Evaluation Association and the Thomas B. Fordham Institute. Available at \v\v\v_eric_ed_gov/ 34 National Education Goals. Available at TheAct/secl0Z.html. as Haskins, R., and sawhill, i. (znne). creatingan Opportunity Society. Wash- ington, Dc: Broolocsn't Just Trichlc Down to Poor and Minority Children. Washington, Dc: The Education Trust, pp. 1-z. la lbid, p. z. la Education Week. (znln). "Holding States, Nation to Educational Account." Quality Counts 2010. Executive summary. washington, Dc: Author. Available at ls Riley, and Peterson, (sep- tember 1e, znns). "Before the 'Either-or' Era: Reviving Bipartisanship to improve America's Schools." Education Week. Available at ln Chang, H., and Romero, M. (znns). Present, Engaged, and Accountcd For: The Critical Importance ofAddressing ch ronic Absence in the Earlv Grades. Baltimore, MD: The Annie E. Casey Foundation and New York, Ny: Nation al Center for Children in Poverty. Available at ation- Files/CAreport3text.pdf. ll Chang, H. (January zs,zn1n). "Attendance and Chronic Absence: Moving Beyond the PowerPoint presentation to the Early Learning and Development interdepartmental Initia- tive Study croup, slide 13. ls Chang, H., and Romero, M. (znns). Present, Engaged, and Accountcd For: The Critical Importance ofAddressing ch ronic Absence in the Earlv Grades. Baltimore, MD: The Annie E. Casey Foundation and New York, Ny: Nation al Center for Children in Poverty. Available at ation- Files/CAreport3text.pdf. .org I The Annie E. Casey Foundation l?Balfanz, R. Grade Students on the Graduation Path. Policy and practice brief. Baltimore, MD: The Johns Hopkins University, p. 4. in chang, H., and Romero, M. (znns). Present, Engaged, and For: The Critical Importance afAddressing ch ronie Alasenee in the Early Grades. Baltimore, MD: The Annie E. Casey Foundation and New York, Ny: National Center for Children in Foveny. Available at ation- sl Cooper, H., Nye, B., Charlton, K., Lindsay,J., and Greathouse, s. (leets). "The Effects ofSummerVacation on Achievement Test Scores: A Narrative and Meta-Analytie Review." Review of EdueatienalReseareh, 66(3), pp. zz7-ztss. Cited in McLaughlin, B., and smink, 1. (znne). "Summer Learning: Moving From the periphery to the Core." The Progress ofEdueation Referrn, ln(3). Education Commission ofthe States. SZAlexander, Entwisle, D.R., and (>lson, L.s. (znn7). "Lasting Conse- quences ofthe Summer Learning Gap." American seeialagiealReview, 7z, p. l7s. S3Il:id,, p. lts7. inlaid, Cited in McLaughlin, B., and sminl<,1. (znne). "Summer Learning: Moving From the Periphery tothe Core." The Progress ofEdueation Reform, ln (3). Education Commission ofthe States, p. 3. S5Alexander, Entwisle, D.R., and (>lson, L.s. (znn7). "Lasting Conse- quences ofthe Summer Learning Gap." American Soeiolog'iealRe view, 7z, pp. l7s-ts. sn Entwisle, and (>lson, L.s. (Fall znnl). "Keep the Faucet Flowing: Summer Learning and Home Environ ment."Arneriean Edueatar (American Federation of Teachers), p. lz. sl Terzian, M., and Moore, R.s. (znne). What Worksjor Summer Learning Programs for Lew-lneerne Children and Youth: Preliminary Lessons From Experimental Evaluations ofSocial Interventions. washington, Dc: child Trends, pp. l-z. ss Ibid., p. 7. is "Roadmap to End Childhood Hunger in America by znls." (znne). National Anti-Hunger Organizations, p. l. an "No Kid Hungry: Campaign to End child Hunger." (znln). PowerPoint presentation by Share (>ur strength, Baltimore, MD. al Share (>ur Strength and Lake Research Partners (znln). Hunger in Arnerieak classrearns: Share Our TeaehersRepert, p. 4. 9ZIbid., p. ts. as "No Kid Hungry: Campaign to End child Hunger." (znln). PowerPoint presentation by Share (>ur strength, Baltimore, MD. Qubid. as D. Brugge, et al. (znn3). Community- Based Participatory Survey ofPublic Housing Conditions and Associations Between Renovations and Possible Building-Related Health Applied Envirenrnentalseienee Pulalie Health, l, pp. se-lnl. an Currie,J. (znns). "Health Dispari- tiesand Gaps in School Readiness." The Future ofChildren ls(l), pp. ll7-l3s. sl coulton, Theodos, B., and Turner, M.A. (November znne). Family Mobil- ity and iveighlaerheed change: New Evidenee and Irnplicationsjor cern munity initiatives. Available at \v\v\v.urban. org/uploadedpdf/41 le 73,family, mobility_pdf, p. vii. as Turner, M.A., and Berube, A. (znne). Vibrant lveighlaerheeds, Successful Schools: What the Federal Government can Do to Foster Both. washington, Dc: The Urban institute. Citing Hanushek, E.A., Kain,J.F., and Rivlrzol, Kahn, R.s. "Maternal Mental Health, Substance Use, and Domestic Violence in the Year After Delivery and Subsequent Behavior Problems in Children at 3 years."Arehives efceneralpsyehiatry, ts3, pp. ssl-son. Cited in Cooper,J.L., Masi, R., and viek, 1. (znne). Social- Ernetienalpeveleprnent in Earlv child- hood: VI/hat Every Polieyrnalver Should Know. New York, Ny: National Center for Children in Boveny, p. 4. lnzAugostinos, M. (les7). "Developmen- tal Effects of child Abuse: A Number ofRecent Findings." ChildAbuse and ivegleet, ll, pp. ls-z7. see also Ecken- rode,J., Laird, M., and Doris, 1. (leel). Maltreatrnent and seeialAd/ustrnent of School Children. Grant No. eneal3ns, National Center on child Abuse and Neglect. washington, Dc: u.s. Depart- ment ofHealth and Human Services. Cited in \v\v\v.path\vaystooutc omes. org. EARLY Why Readlng by the End OI Grade Matters lulwalker, L., and Smithgall, c. (znne). Underperforrning Schools and the Educa- tion ofl/ulnerable Children and Youth. University ofChicago: chapin Hall Centerfor Children, p. 3. lnawalsh, R., Glaser, D., and wileoit, D.D. What Education Schools Aren't TeaehingAl=eut Readingand What Elementary TeachersAren't Learning. Available at p. ts. ins National Reading Panel Teaehing Children to Read: An Evidenee- ofthe Scientbic Researeh Literature on Reading and Its Irnplieationsjor Reading washington, Dc: National Institute of child Health and Human Development. nn Bruner, c. (znne). FederalFunding and Young Children: Directions, opportu- nities, and challenges to states in Building Early childheed systerns. Available at \v\v\v.bui ldinitiative.org. lui Schorr, L.B. (less). Within ourReaeh: Rreahing the cyele afvisadvantage. New York, Ny: Doubleday, p. ins Gardner, s. (Fall lese). "Failure by Fragmentation." Calyornia Tomorrow, pp. zn-zl. me Heel