“There’s a lot of strong research out there that shows that if you’re not reading at a proficient level by the end of the third grade, that makes it much tougher for you to succeed in school in terms of graduating from high school and having the skills to go on to college and graduate from college,” says Rich Huddleston, the group’s executive director. Huddleston suggested expanding early education and after-school programs as strategies to ensure no child gets left behind.

And yet we’re still leaving a lot of them behind. Student test scores show that troubling achievement gaps persist by race. But you can help! When you learn more about the issue in our infographic, you can also sign on to a petition to Congress to raise standards for all students.

It’s bad enough that only one-third of fourth-graders read at a proficient level, according to new Department of Education data. But did you know that only 18 percent of kids from low-income families scored as well? And that only 11 percent of kids with disabilities read as well as they should?

The racial disparities, as we mentioned before, are just as troubling. Only 16 percent of Black students and 18 percent of Hispanic students read as well as they should, compared to 42 percent of White students.

Get the basics from our press release and dive into the report to learn more!

The 2011 report from the U.S. Department of Education shows that only 18 percent of students in low-income families scored “proficient” in the reading test, compared to 48 percent of their peers. And only 16 percent of Black students and 18 percent of Hispanic students read as well as they should, compared to 42 percent of White students.

Learn more about the results in our issue brief.

Much is at stake in renewing No Child Left Behind. Voices seeks greater emphasis on closing achievement gaps, promoting early care and education, and more effective interventions for at-risk children. Read more about our position in our new release.

At the height of the recession, the federal stimulus package protected children from the worst of state budget cuts and propped up schools. But stimulus dollars are running out. Without greater support from Washington, D.C., our schools stand to suffer even more.

Join our petition to invest in schools! Congress is now considering the part of President Obama’s American Jobs Act that would provide $35 billion to prevent layoffs to teachers and first responders and $25 billion to modernize school facilities. Sign on now!

“One common thread, whether I’m reporting on poverty in New York City or in Sierra Leone, is that a good education tends to be the most reliable escalator out of poverty,” writes Kristof. “Another common thread: whether in America or Africa, disadvantaged kids often don’t get a chance to board that escalator.” What do you think?

So the big federal education law may be due for some change, but as for what kind of change, no one knows. The two ranking members of the Senate committee on the law have been negotiating and fact-finding for 10 months, and they have promised an overhaul of the law. But details so far are few. Learn more in this week’s newsletter, which you can sign up for here.

High-poverty schools are ones where a great majority of the students come from low-income families. Not all these schools are underperforming, but they often struggle to maintain their facilities and attract teachers. Research shows that improving these factors improves learning.

Tell Congress: Investing in school modernization is investing in America’s children!

Learn more in our most recent newsletter! You can sign up here.