onsider Laura. When she entered the third grade, she couldn't
understand the stories all her friends enjoyed. She was even too
embarrassed to read aloud. Why? She could only read at a first
grade level. Laura's hardly alone — but that's small comfort. A
recent study from the Annie E. Casey Foundation found that one
in six children who are not reading proficiently by the third
grade does not graduate from high school on time. In other
words, Laura's abilities in third grade may very well determine
her future. By the time Laura finished third grade, however, she
loved to read and was prepared for the fourth grade. How did she
catch up? She had a highly effective teacher. There are no
silver bullets in the education reform movement, but one area we
cannot afford to overlook is expanding the pool of talented
teachers. Popular reform efforts tend to focus on supporting
current teachers and improving the standards they teach. But to
maximize Laura's chances, and those of our country, we need to
start even earlier.