Literacy is using printed and written information to function in society, to achieve one’s goals, and to develop one’s knowledge and potential. The ability to read, write, and communicate connects people to one another and empowers them to achieve things they never thought possible. Communication and connection are the basis of who we are and how we live together and interact with the world.
2/3 of students who can not read proficiently by the end of 4th grade will end up in jail or on welfare.
The 4th grade is the watershed year. We can predict that if a child is not reading proficiently in the 4th grade, he or she will have approximately a 78% chance of not catching up.
85 percent of all juveniles who interface with the juvenile court system are functionally illiterate.
Low literacy costs $73 million per year in terms of direct health care costs.