Submitted by arlenegloria on Sat, 05/22/2010 - 21:51

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WSJ: Literacy Scores Stall in Inner Cities

By Stephanie Banchero

Students in large U.S. inner cities are struggling to improve their reading ability, especially at middle-school levels, according to results from a national reading test released Thursday.

Only Atlanta and Los Angeles, two of the 11 urban centers that took the reading exam, showed statistically significant growth in eighth-grade reading from 2007 and 2009. They also were the only two to show growth since 2002.

Four districts notched gains at the fourth-grade level since 2007, while five showed progress since 2002. The test scores are part of the urban National Assessment of Educational Progress, or NAEP. Known as the "nation's report card," the exam has been given in urban districts biennially to students in the two benchmark elementary and middle school grades.

To read more, please visit Wall Street Journal: 
http://online.wsj.com/article/SB10001424052748703559004575256143731101672.html?mod=WSJ