National Report Highlights Importance of Grade Level Reading to Students, State and Economy

Several factors shown to affect Arkansas students ability to read and succeed

LITTLE ROCK - A special Kids Count report from the Annie E. Casey Foundation, Early Warning! Why Reading by the End of Third Grade Matters, contains alarming information about the state of our nation's - and our state's - school-age children and their ability to read and consequently succeed.

The report explains how the ability to read by the end of third grade is vital to a child's success in school, their life-long earning potential, and their ability to contribute to both our state and national economy. Unfortunately, data within the report shows that this goal is largely going unmet. According to the report, two out of every three 4th graders in the United States are not proficient in reading, and four of five 4th graders from low-income families are likewise not proficient.

"The gap in well-being and educational achievement that children from low-income families face is something we have followed closely as an organization for decades," said Rich Huddleston, Executive Director of Arkansas Advocates for Children and Families. "With nearly 25% of Arkansas children currently living in poverty, it's unfortunate, but not surprising that we're seeing these numbers."

The report includes several state by state indicators that help explain low reading proficiency levels, and Arkansas rankings are primarily within the middle to lower ends of the spectrum. In 2009, 71 percent of the state's 4^th graders scored below proficient on the National Assessment of Educational Progress (NAEP) reading test putting Arkansas 35^th in the nation.

"The indicators show that Arkansas has a long way to go if we are going to improve reading levels in the state," said Huddleston. "If we don't focus on areas that will better prepare kids to learn, such as improved health and well-being; quality childcare and early childhood education; quality out-of-school and summer programs; and work and income support for low-income parents, we're only going to see this cycle continue and Arkansas's children fall further behind."

Quality pre-K is one of those areas in which Arkansas made great strides in recent years; however many children remain without access. By making the most of our education dollars, Arkansas can expand pre-K access and give our children yet another tool to help them achieve greater educational success. Though even with that improvement, more will have to be done.

As a result of this report, Arkansas Advocates for Children and Families is joining with the Annie E. Casey Foundation to promote steps for improving reading proficiency, closing the current education achievement gap and raising the bar for Arkansas students. These steps include:

1. Developing a comprehensive system of early care and education for children ages birth to five that ensures they are ready to learn when they start school.
2. Developing and utilizing solutions to overcome two of the most significant contributors to underachievement in low-income families: chronic absence from schools and summer learning loss, which can be addressed by creating and supporting quality out-of-school programs.
3. Prioritizing, supporting, and investing in results-driven initiatives to transform low-performing schools into high-quality teaching and learning environments.
4. Encouraging and enabling parents and caregivers to play their role in producing good outcomes for kids.

"Our greatest concern is that if we do not act now to stem this tide, we are ensuring widespread educational failure for the next generation - and uncertainty for our state and nation's future workforce," said Huddleston.

To view the full report, visit: http://datacenter.kidscount.org/reports/readingmatters.aspx

Arkansas Advocates for Children and Families is a statewide, non-profit child advocacy organization established in 1977. Our mission is to ensure that all children and their families have the resources and opportunities to lead healthy and productive lives and to realize their full potential. On the web at www.aradvocates.org.

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