A Strong Educational Foundation

Early Literacy

Children who participate in high-quality early education programs are 40% less likely to repeat a grade, 30% more likely to graduate from high school and more than twice as likely to go to college.  They develop better language skills, score higher on school readiness tests and have fewer behavioral problems once they enter school.  Finally as adults, they have higher annual earnings and are more likely to be homeowners.

Goal: Percent of students ready for kindergarten as measured by the DIBELS.

Reading Proficiency

From 1^st to 3^rd grade, students are learning to read and from 4^th grade on they must be able to read to learn.  “One in six children not reading proficiently in 3^rd grade fail to graduate from high school on time, a rate four times greater than that for proficient readers,” says the Annie E. Casey Foundation. "Black and Hispanic children who are not reading proficiently in 3^rd grade are about twice as likely as similar white children not to graduate from high school."

Goal: Percent of third graders reading proficiently at the end of third grade as measured by MCAS.