As a nation we have invested significant energy, research, and resources into early literacy, recognizing that children who read well by the end of 3rd grade are far more likely to succeed later in school and in life. Yet new results from the National Assessment of Educational Progress show a flat line in 4th grade reading achievement in recent years. Why has progress stalled in 4th grade reading and what will it take to improve achievement? In yesterday’s webinar federal officials and experts dug deeper into the data and discussed the importance of early reading and the persistent challenges to improving results. If you missed it, the archived version of the webinar is here. You can find the PowerPoint presentation here.

The webinar included the following panelists:

• Jack Buckley, Commissioner, National Center for Education Statistics
• Jack Jennings, President and CEO, Center on Education Policy
• Donald J. Hernandez, Professor and Researcher, Hunter College, City University of New York
• Moderator: Doris Hicks, Board Member, National Assessment Governing Board, Principal and CEO of Dr. Martin Luther King, Jr. Charter School for Science and Technology in New Orleans