Reading changes everything.
Literacy shapes how children learn, how adults navigate daily life, and how Pennsylvania grows.
When children learn to read, they gain access to everything else.
Reading is the gateway to learning across every subject and one of the strongest predictors of long-term academic and life outcomes. When children do not build strong reading skills early, the effects can compound across school, work, health, and opportunity.
Early literacy shapes a child’s entire educational trajectory.
By the end of third grade, students move from “learning to read” to “reading to learn.” When children miss that milestone, every subject becomes harder to access—from science and social studies to math word problems and writing.
That’s why strong instruction, early screening, and targeted support matter so much in the earliest years.
The challenge begins early—and it is not experienced equally.
State assessment data shows that far too many children reach the end of third grade without the reading skills they need to access increasingly complex learning.
Source: Pennsylvania Department of Education, 2025 PSSA English Language Arts results, Grade 3.
of third graders are not reading proficiently.
More than half of Pennsylvania third graders are below the proficient benchmark in English Language Arts.
of economically disadvantaged third graders are not proficient.
The literacy challenge is especially acute for students facing economic disadvantage.
of third graders scored Below Basic.
One in five third graders is significantly behind the skills expected at grade level.
Literacy reaches far
beyond the classroom.
Strong literacy skills shape a person’s ability to learn, work, understand health information, navigate systems, and participate fully in their community.
Education
Students who struggle to read have difficulty accessing learning across subjects and are more likely to face ongoing academic challenges.
Health
Literacy affects a person’s ability to understand medical instructions, prescription labels, forms, and other information tied to health and well-being.
Workforce
Low literacy can limit access to higher-wage employment and makes it harder for employers to build a skilled, adaptable workforce.
Opportunity
Reading opens doors to information, services, education, civic participation, and greater economic mobility across a lifetime.
Struggling to read can shape how a child sees themself.
When reading feels harder for a child than it does for their peers, the effects can reach far beyond academics. Struggling readers may experience anxiety, embarrassment, avoidance, isolation, anger, and fading confidence.
A child who is struggling to read may begin to believe that they are the problem—not the instruction they have received.
Anxiety
Worry about being called on, falling behind, or being exposed in front of classmates.
Embarrassment
Feeling different from peers and trying to hide a struggle that others may not see.
Avoidance
Pulling away from reading tasks—or from school itself—because the work feels overwhelming.
Fading confidence
Repeated difficulty can change what a child believes about their own ability to learn.
Low literacy follows people into adulthood.
Adults with limited literacy may struggle with tasks many people take for granted—completing job applications, understanding prescription labels, reading forms, and navigating complex information at work and in daily life.
Source: National Center for Education Statistics, U.S. PIAAC State and County Estimates; Pennsylvania figures summarized in PLC’s State of Child & Adult Literacy brief.
Closing the literacy gap could unlock enormous gains.
Economic analysis estimates that Pennsylvania could generate approximately $113 billion annually by closing the literacy gap—through stronger earnings, productivity, and economic opportunity.
Literacy is foundational not only to individual success, but to workforce readiness and long-term economic growth across the Commonwealth.
EXPLORE PENNSYLVANIA LITERACY DATA →Reading outcomes can change.
Children can become strong readers when schools and educators have the knowledge, tools, and systems needed to teach reading effectively and respond early when students need support.
Well-Trained Teachers
Educators understand how to teach reading explicitly and effectively.
High-Quality Curriculum
Schools use evidence-based materials aligned to how children learn to read.
Regular Screening
Quick checks identify students who need support before gaps become entrenched.
Early Intervention
Students get targeted support as soon as they begin to struggle.
Ongoing Support
Coaching, family engagement, and aligned systems help strong practice last.
Every child can learn
to read.
Literacy outcomes do not improve by chance. They improve when people come together to turn evidence into policy—and policy into strong classroom practice.
See how the Pennsylvania Literacy Coalition is working to build a stronger literacy future for students, families, and communities across the Commonwealth.