skip to main content
skip to newscasts

Friday, March 29, 2024

Public News Service Logo
facebook instagram linkedin reddit youtube twitter
view newscast page
play newscast audioPlay

The latest on the Key Bridge collapse, New York puts forth legislation to get clean energy projects on the grid and Wisconsin and other states join a federal summer food program to help feed kids across the country.

view newscast page
play newscast audioPlay

Republicans float conspiracy theories on the collapse of Baltimore's Key Bridge, South Carolina's congressional elections will use a map ruled unconstitutional, and the Senate schedules an impeachment trial for Homeland Secretary Mayorkas.

view newscast page
play newscast audioPlay

Historic wildfires could create housing and health issues for rural Texans, a Kentucky program helps prison parolees start a new life, and descendants of Nicodemus, Kansas celebrate the Black settlers who journeyed across the 1870s plains seeking self-governance.

Report: 3rd Grade Reading Skills Predict High School Graduation

play audio
Play

Monday, April 25, 2011   

FRANKFORT, Ky. - Kids struggling with reading in third grade are more likely than proficient readers to miss out on a high school diploma, according to a new study that followed some 4,000 students nationwide through their school years. Those not reading at grade level are four times more likely not to graduate - and for kids in poverty and minorities, the likelihood of failure is even higher, researchers found.

Report author Donald Hernandez is a senior advisor for the Foundation for Child Development. He says reading is a skill that needs to be addressed even before a child enters kindergarten.

"Research has found that high-quality early education makes a big difference in terms of third-grade reading scores and success through high school."

Jack McCarthy, managing director of the AppleTree Institute for Education Innovation, Washington, D.C., says preliminary research funded by the U.S. Department of Education shows that students who attend AppleTree programs have stronger literacy skills in grade school than those who didn't, even if they live in poverty.

"We see these as really strong indicators that a high-quality preschool experience that involves pre-literacy skills and social-emotional skills really translates into better performance in the early years."

Another underlying issue for reading success in the third grade is educational stability. Hernandez says students who move often, whether because of housing issues or foster care, face additional challenges in school.

"This creates difficulties, partly because we don't have curricula that are standard across schools, even within the same school district. Children transferring from one school to the next can't pick up where they left off."

Hernandez suggests families and officials take these steps to improve the odds: Set up preschool learning so it aligns with kindergarten lesson plans, help families out of poverty, and pay closer attention to the health and developmental needs of young children.

The full report, "Double Jeopardy: How Poverty & Third-Grade Reading Skills Influence High School Graduation," was commissioned by the Annie E. Casey Foundation. It is available at http://ht.ly/4xNNK.


get more stories like this via email

more stories
A report from the Tennessee HealthCare Campaign recommended the federal government needs to strengthen 340B drug pricing and other federal negotiation mechanisms to make needed medicines more readily available and less expensive for hospitals to purchase and administer. (Spotmatikphoto/AdobeStock)

Health and Wellness

play sound

A recent report examined how some rural Tennessee hospitals have managed to stay afloat despite financial challenges. The report includes interviews …


Social Issues

play sound

Earlier this month, a new Arizona Public Service rate hike went into effect and one senior advocacy group said those on a fixed income may struggle …

Social Issues

play sound

Michigan recently implemented a significant juvenile justice reform package following recommendations from a task force made up of prosecutors…


Nearly 13 million Americans receive health coverage through unique plans under both Medicare and Medicaid. They are known as Dual-Eligible Special Needs Plans. (Adobe Stock)

Health and Wellness

play sound

Medicare and Medicaid are key sources of health coverage for many Americans and some people qualify for assistance under both programs. With lagging …

Social Issues

play sound

A mix of policy updates and staffing boosts has helped to put wage theft enforcement on the radar in Minnesota, and officials leading the efforts are …

More than six in 10 Americans favor keeping the abortion pill mifepristone available in the U.S. as a prescription drug, while over a third are opposed, according to a Gallup poll. (Adobe Stock)

Social Issues

play sound

New research shows more than six in 10 abortions in the U.S. last year were medically induced, and U.S. Sen. Catherine Cortez Masto - D-NV - is …

Social Issues

play sound

Colorado is working to boost the state's agricultural communities by getting more fresh, nutritious foods into school cafeterias - and a new online …

Social Issues

play sound

Missouri lawmakers are concerned with protecting people from the potential risks of the increasing accessibility of AI-generated images and videos…

 

Phone: 303.448.9105 Toll Free: 888.891.9416 Fax: 208.247.1830 Your trusted member- and audience-supported news source since 1996 Copyright © 2021