Where I live, a child who enters first grade without knowing how to read is an abnormality.<p>In fact, the school system assumes that any child who enters first grade already has the basics of literacy and numeracy -- a child who doesn&#x27;t know how to read will probably be channeled to a special class for slow&#x2F;disadvantaged kids.<p>This seems like a cultural quirk and doesn&#x27;t appear to make people smarter in the long run, however.