The Sun-Sentinel – Marcell Haywood and Jeff Watts 
Often at the top of a long list of critical issues impacting each community’s growth and prosperity is broad access to high-quality public education. In an age where economic prosperity has reached historic heights, communities throughout the United States still struggle to deal with mounting pressure on their academic institutions, student achievement, and safety among a myriad of other issues. Of all the challenges faced, however, national research supports the notion that 3rd grade literacy, in particular, is one of the primary determinants of an individual’s ongoing and long-lasting success in life. (more)