New Research Confirms Third Grade Reading’s Importance
July 9, 2013 by Alyssa Haywoode
Photo: Kate Samp for Strategies for Children
In a new report, “Early Warning Confirmed: A Research Update on Third-Grade Reading,” the Annie E. Casey Foundation follows up on its earlier research about the importance of promoting children’s reading proficiency by the end of third grade.
The foundation’s May 2010 report “Early Warning: Why Reading by the End of Third Grade Matters” explained “the research basis for focusing on reading proficiency by the third grade as an essential step toward increasing the number of children who succeed academically” and do well in their lives and careers. That report also launched the Campaign for Grade-Level Reading, a national collaborative effort by foundations, nonprofit partners, states and communities to ensure that more children in low-income families succeed in school and graduate prepared for college, a career and active citizenship. This effort led to the creation of a network of national and local civic leaders, policymakers, advocates, community organizations and