Low student scores on national and state reading tests expose the disturbing reality that a lot of children are being promoted from one grade to the next even though they do not have the knowledge and skills necessary to succeed.

Reading is the foundational skill that all children need to do well in school and in life.  Yet, too many public schools are failing to teach young people to read well.

On the 2024 National Assessment of Educational Progress reading exam, seven out of 10 fourth graders taking the test failed to perform at the proficient level.

State exams are graded differently than the national exam, but even here a significant majority of students are failing to read well.