SCOT LEHIGH’S column “Recipe for reading success is a real page-turner’’ (Op-ed, March 11) draws attention to a critical issue in education: third-grade reading. Because reading is the basis of learning in all subjects, this early benchmark is a strong predictor of children’s chances of later success.
Indeed, an estimated three-quarters of children who struggle with reading in third grade will continue to struggle in school, making them far less likely than other children to finish high school, attend college, and find a place in today’s knowledge-based economy.
Despite leading the nation in education, 37 percent of the Commonwealth’s third-graders read below grade level, according to the 2010 MCAS. Among low-income children, a staggering 57 percent lag in reading.
For the sake of our children and our future prosperity, we must embed focused and sustained attention to language development and early literacy in a statewide education plan. That is precisely the aim of An Act Relative to Third Grade Reading Proficiency, introduced by Representative Martha Walz (D-Boston) and Senator Katherine Clark (D-Melrose) and supported by about 60 cosponsors.
Margaret Blood
Founder and president
Strategies for Children
Boston 
