Across the US, more than 60% of fourth-graders are not proficient readers, a figure tied directly to broader societal strain. This literacy crisis isn't necessarily confined to classrooms. It can often spill outward, into emergency rooms, into labor markets, into court systems, shaping the trajectory of entire economies.
Ellen Wiss, founder of READ USA, has built her work around that reality, positioning reading as an infrastructure for a refined society. "All of that correlates to the social ills and the costs we take care of on the back end. These costs are far greater than fixing it up front and empowering children to be successful contributors to society," Wiss explains. Low literacy costs the US at least $2.2 trillion annually.
