U.S. Senators Bill Cassidy, M.D. (R-LA), ranking member of the Senate Health, Education, Labor, and Pensions (HELP) Committee, and Jack Reed (D-RI) have introduced a bipartisan resolution to designate September 2024 as National Literacy Month.
“Our students deserve better. Unless reading proficiency improves, we are at risk of losing an entire generation of productive, successful adults,” said Dr. Cassidy. “This resolution highlights this crucial issue and the importance of our work to improve child literacy.”
“Reading unlocks opportunity and strengthening literacy for Americans of all ages will help us build a stronger society,” said Senator Reed. “I’m proud to work with Senator Cassidy and our colleagues to introduce this important resolution that amplifies the need for more effective literacy instruction for students of all ages. We need to do a better job of reaching learners where they are and not letting them slip through the cracks.”
Earlier this year, Cassidy released a report outlining the severity of declining child literacy and its long-term effects on the nation. He highlighted the 2022 National Assessment of Educational Progress (NAEP) results, which show two-thirds of fourth and eighth graders are unable to read proficiently.
According to a 2020 study by Gallup in partnership with the Barbara Bush Foundation for Family Literacy, it is estimated that low levels of adult literacy could be costing America as much as $2.2 trillion a year.
The measure is being cosponsored by U.S. Senators Marsha Blackburn (R-TN), Mike Braun (R-IN), Katie Britt (R-AL), Shelley Moore Capito (R-WV), Susan Collins (R-ME), John Cornyn (R-TX), Dick Durbin (D-IL), Martin Heinrich (D-NM), Cindy Hyde-Smith (R-MS), Angus King (I-ME), James Lankford (R-OK), Mitt Romney (R-UT), Bernie Sanders (I-VT), Tommy Tuberville (R-AL), Tim Scott (R-SC), Chris Van Hollen (D-MD), Sheldon Whitehouse (D-RI), and Roger Wicker (R-MS).
The National Parents Union, Ed Trust, and Educators for Excellence have endorsed this resolution.
Full text of the resolution can be found here.
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