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Medical copays reduce health care access in MS prisons; Israel planted explosives in pagers sold to Hezbollah according to official sources; Serving looks with books: Libraries fight 'fast fashion' by lending clothes; Menhaden decline threatens Virginia's ecosystem, fisheries.

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JD Vance calls for toning down political rhetoric, while calls for his resignation grow because of his own comments. The Secret Service again faces intense criticism, and a right to IVF is again voted down in the US Senate.

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A USDA report shows a widening gap in rural versus urban health, a North Carolina county remains divided over a LGBTQ library display, and Minnesota Governor Tim Walz' policies are spotlighted after his elevation to the Democratic presidential ticket.

Report: 3rd Grade Reading Skills Predict High School Graduation

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Friday, April 15, 2011   

CHARLESTON, W. Va. – West Virginia children struggling with reading in third grade are more likely to miss out on a high school diploma, according to a new study that followed thousands of students 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 higher.

Report author Donald Hernandez 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."

Hernandez, a senior adviser for the Foundation for Child Development, has recommendations 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.

Jack McCarthy, managing director of the AppleTree Institute for Education Innovation in Washington, D.C., provides an example of how high quality preschool pays off. He 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 attend – 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. Students who move often, whether because of housing issues or foster care, face additional challenges in school, says Hernandez.

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

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



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