Literacy:

44 Million adults in the US can not read well enough to read a simple story to a child!
Children who have not developed some basic literacy skills by the time they enter school are 3 - 4 times more likely to drop out in later years.
The average student learns about 3,000 words per year in the early school years (8 words per day).

Disadvantaged students in the first grade have a vocabulary that is approximately half that of an advantaged student (2,900 and 5,800 respectively).
14% of all individuals have a learning disability.
It is estimated that more than $2 billion is spent each year on students who repeat a grade because they have reading problems.
Over one million children drop out of school each year, costing the nation over $240 billion in lost earnings, forgone tax revenues, and expenditures for social services.
Low literacy is strongly related to crime. 70% of prisoners fall into the lowest two levels of reading proficiency.
46% of American adults cannot understand the label on their prescription medicine.
50% of American adults are unable to read an 8th grade level book.

and....

30% of our children in United States will not finish high school!

Information provided by Dr. Barbara R. Swaby, Professor Curriculum and Instruction, University of Colorado Colorado Springs (UCCS)