Poverty, Third-Grade Reading Proficiency Impact High School Graduation Rates

Poverty and third-grade reading proficiency have a huge impact on high school graduation rates, says a new study by the Annie E. Casey Foundation, a private charitable organization that helps disadvantages kids.
Students who don't read at grade level by third grade are four times more likely to leave high school without a diploma than kids who are proficient readers, says "Double Jeopardy: How Poverty & Third-Grade Reading Skills Influence High School Graduation," which studied nearly 4,000 students nationwide. Overall, poverty compounds the problem: poor students are three times more likely to drop out or fail to graduate on time. And poverty impacts even the best readers, with poor proficient third graders graduating at about the same rate as subpar readers who've never been poor. more » » »