  Work for Impact

  Elementary School Success

Helping students reach essential reading benchmarks by third grade, when they stop learning to read and begin reading to learn

When a student enters third grade, they need to be prepared for a transition that will change their future: the moment when they stop learning to read and start reading to learn. In our community, too many kids don’t have the reading skills they need to reach this crucial milestone, which can have a lasting effect on their ability to close the achievement gap and thrive in school. Help us write a new story for Lane County kids.

Proof in Numbers

Lane County Statistics

60.44%
of students in Lane County are not proficient in reading by third grade ⁽¹⁾

**Studies show:**

— Children who aren’t reading at grade level by the end of third grade are four times more likely to drop out of high school (2)
— Low achievement as early as fourth grade is a powerful predictor of high school and college graduation rates, as well as lifetime earnings (3)

References:

(1) Oregon Department of Education 2022-23 ELA Report

(2) Donald J. Hernandez, Double Jeopardy: How Third-Grade Reading Skills and Poverty Influence High School Graduation. The Annie E. Casey Foundation; Center (https://www.aecf.org/resources/double-jeopardy)

(3) McKinsey & Company (April 2009). The Economic Impact of the Achievement Gap in America’s schools. Washington, D.C. (https://dropoutprevention.org/wp-content/uploads/2015/07/ACHIEVEMENT_GAP_REPORT_20090512.pdf)