Summer Scholars

“Millions of American children get to fourth grade without learning to read proficiently. And that puts them on the drop-out track.”

That startling quote comes from Early Warning: Why Reading by Third Grade Matters, a recent report published by the Annie E. Casey Foundation. The Casey Foundation found that one out of four students who does not read proficiently by the end of third grade and has experienced poverty at some point in time ends up dropping out of high school.

The shortfall in reading proficiency is especially pronounced among low-income children, particularly low-income black, Hispanic and Native American students.

And the costs are high. The report notes that every student who does not complete high school costs our society an estimated $260,000 in lost earnings and taxes. High school drop-outs also are more likely than those who graduate to be arrested or have a child while still a teenager, which further add to society’s financial and social costs.

“The bottom line is that if we don’t get dramatically more children on track as proficient readers, the United States will lose a growing and essential proportion of its human capital, and the price will be paid not only by individual children and families, but by the entire country,” notes the report.

The report makes several key recommendations to address the reading proficiency gap and improve the achievement of children from low-income families. Among them: Provide robust summer learning programs for disadvantaged children to reduce summer learning loss.

Summer Scholars is proud to be part of the solution to the reading proficiency problem … and we thank YOU for making our work possible. Philanthropic support enables us to continue to provide high-quality summer and after-school programs that help at-risk students become proficient readers and increase the likelihood that they’ll graduate from high school. We thank you for partnering with us to make a real difference in the lives of disadvantaged children.

P.S. Want to read the complete report from the Annie E. Casey Foundation? Click here.