Study: Most Fourth Graders Can’t Read at Grade Level

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By SLJ Staff -- School Library Journal, 10/22/2008 2:05:00 PM

Not all is well with Dick and Jane. Although many people like to believe that American kids are doing well in school, more than half of white and Asian children can’t read at grade level by fourth grade. And for Latino, black, and American Indian kids, that number shoots up to a whopping 80 percent, says a new report from the nonprofit grant-giving organization Foundation for Child Development.

“Most of the children who do not master the fundamentals of elementary education will require costly remediation in middle and high school,” says “America's Vanishing Potential: The Case for PreK-3rd Education.” “Many will struggle to avoid dropping out of school.  Some will end up in prison, and most will not be able to lay claim to the American Dream.”

That’s why the PreK to 3rd grade school years are so important. “PreK-3rd teachers and administrators [must] work together across these grade levels, building strong connections and linking learning experiences across these critical years,” the study says. “Our children are not failing to learn. Our schools are failing to teach them effectively.”

To reverse this trend and provide kids with the skills necessary for life-long learning, Americans “must take responsibility for guaranteeing a high-quality PreK-3rd education to this and future generations,” the report recommends. “It is time to rethink how we begin the educational experiences of young children ages three to eight.”

Currently, kindergarten attendance is mandatory in only 12 states, and only two states require children to attend full-day kindergarten. Some 30 percent of American kids attend only half-day programs for two to three hours per day. Meanwhile, nationally, only about 35 percent of all four-year-olds are in publicly supported PreK programs. Oklahoma is currently the only state where universal PreK is part of the state-funded educational system.

Schools that connect high-quality PreK programs with high-quality kindergarten, first, second, and third grades have produced strong student performance. “It's important to recognize that every year of schooling counts,” the report says. “Adopting a universal and unified PreK to 3rd grade approach is the starting point for a comprehensive transformation of the U.S. public education system.”