Education

Improve the regional graduation rate to 83% by 2030 and reduce racial and economic disparities in graduation rates.

• Early childhood success and kindergarten readiness
• Early grade reading achievement 
• Social and emotional wellness.

Research shows early grade reading mastery, especially third-grade reading performance, is one of the best predictors of a child’s future school success—academic achievement, high school graduation, post-high learning, job retention and financial independence. Without it, students will struggle to learn other subjects and are four times more likely to drop out.

United Way’s Early Grade Reading Achievement Project targets students in preschool through third grade with in-class coaching for teachers, classroom libraries, books to prevent summer learning loss, family events, and volunteer adult reading mentors to encourage kids to read. For more ACTION examples, visit our Partners & Programs page.

89% of students paired with volunteer reading mentors in 2017 became proficient readers.