A decline in literacy and reading rates is having a profound impact on culture, leading to a loss of critical thinking, empathy, and imagination. This trend is not a recent development, with reading scores for fourth and eighth graders falling since before 2019. Recent results show that fewer than a third of students are reading at a proficient level, with many scoring below the basic benchmark.

Further information on this issue is available, including analysis of Department of Education data showing the extent of the problem among American adults.