According to the Third Grade Reading Campaign, third grade reading success is one of the best predictors of future school performance. In fact, a longitudinal study by the Annie E. Casey Foundation found that 88% of students who failed to earn a high school diploma were struggling readers in third grade.
The need is not simply to increase the number of preschool slots, but also to increase the quality of preschool slots. The Quality Rating Improvement System (QRIS) provides a framework that promotes continuous quality improvements by assessing preschool classes against locally adopted standards.