Why Literacy Matters
Pennsylvania is in a Literacy Crisis
Right now, just 33% of Pennsylvania fourth graders read proficiently. That means sixty-seven percent of fourth grade students can’t read at grade level.
For students furthest from opportunity—including students of color and students from low-income communities—proficiency rates are significantly lower.
Fourth grade marks a pivotal transition from “learning to read” to “reading to learn.” Without strong literacy skills by this point, students are far more likely to struggle across subjects, fall behind academically, and face long-term barriers to success.
This is not just an education issue—it is an economic, health, and equity issue with lifelong consequences.
Literacy is foundational to workforce readiness and long-term economic growth.
Students who do not read proficiently by fourth grade are four times more likely to drop out of high school (Annie E. Casey Foundation, 2011). Lower graduation rates are associated with:
Reduced lifetime earnings
Higher unemployment rates
Increased reliance on social services
National research shows that raising adult literacy rates would generate trillions in additional economic output and significantly strengthen GDP.
In Pennsylvania alone, increasing literacy rates could generate an estimated $113 billion in additional annual economic output. Our state’s long-term economic competitiveness depends on building a literate workforce.
To understand what low literacy means for your community, explore our county-level fact sheets outlining the economic impact across Pennsylvania.
The Economic Impact
Source: PIACC & U.S. Census data; Earnings potential calculated using methodology developed by Jonathan Rothwell (2020), Assessing Economic Gains of Eradicating Illiteracy Nationally and Regionally in the United States
Low literacy is closely tied to poor health outcomes.
Individuals with limited literacy are more likely to experience:
Higher hospitalization rates
Lower use of preventive care
Difficulty understanding medical instructions
Greater chronic health conditions
The economic burden of low literacy-related health costs in the United States is estimated in the hundreds of billions annually.
Literacy improves not only academic outcomes, but overall quality of life.
The Health Impact
Photos courtesy of Readby4th
Literacy shapes opportunity.
Individuals with low literacy face barriers to stable employment, career advancement, and civic participation. Limited literacy also affects everyday decision-making—from completing forms to understanding policies and contracts.
Without intervention, literacy gaps can perpetuate intergenerational cycles of disadvantage.
When children learn to read, communities grow stronger.
The Social Impact
Photo courtesy of Readby4th
Pennsylvania’s literacy challenges are not due to a lack of effort from educators. Rather, they stem from systemic gaps in policy and support.
For decades, many districts relied on instructional approaches that research has since shown to be ineffective. At the same time:
Teacher preparation programs have not consistently aligned with evidence-based reading instruction
Pennsylvania has not provided dedicated statewide funding for in-service literacy training
Districts have lacked cohesive, statewide implementation guidance
The good news: we know what works.
Decades of research—and the experience of other states—provide a clear path forward.
The question is no longer whether we know how to improve literacy outcomes, but whether we will align policy, funding, and implementation to do so.
How We Got Here
Photos courtesy of EDUimages
“America’s low literacy crisis is largely ignored, historically underfunded and woefully under-researched, despite being one of the great solvable problems of our time.”
— British A. Robinson, Barbara Bush Foundation, President and CEO