Why read? Check out these scary Literacy Facts
More than three out of four of those on welfare, 85% of unwed mothers and 68% of those arrested are illiterate. About three in five of America's prison inmates are illiterate. --Washington Literacy Council
Among adults at the lowest level of literacy proficiency, 43% live in poverty. Among adults with strong literacy skills, only 4% live in poverty. --US Department of Education At least 50% of the unemployed are functionally illiterate. --U.S. Department of Labor
It is estimated that $5 billion a year in taxes goes to support people receiving public assistance who are unemployable due to illiteracy. --Laubach Literacy Action
In 1998, 10 million American school children were considered “poor readers”. --NAEP 1998 Reading Report Card
The percentage of children who read well has not improved substantially for more than 25 years. --NAEP 1996 Trends Report
A startling 88% of children who have difficulty reading at the end of the first grade display similar difficulties at the end of fourth grade. --Dr. Connie Juel
Three-quarters of students who are poor readers in third grade will remain poor readers in high school. --Sally E. Shaywitz, et al
Students who do not learn efficient reading skills are blocked from every other subject in their schooling. --National Center to Improve the Tools of Educators
The top achieving 5% read 144 times more than the lowest achieving 5%. --Terrence Paul, Institute for Academic Excellence
The more types of reading materials there are in the home, the higher students are in reading proficiency. --U.S. Department of Education
Students who do more reading at home are better readers and have higher math scores. --Educational Testing Service
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