We’re addressing one of the most urgent problems in America: illiteracy
Millions of children and adults across the United States lack basic literacy skills, limiting opportunity and economic participation and affecting community safety.
Read in 40 is a structured, phonics-based literacy acceleration program designed to help struggling readers build functional decoding skills in as few as 40 hours. Through focused, explicit instruction and intensive practice, learners quickly develop the foundational reading skills critical to educational success, workforce participation, and long-term stability.
The Challenge Read in 40 Addresses
Low literacy is not a small gap. It is a lifelong barrier with serious individual and societal consequences, and it is growing.
Low literacy drives poverty, limits employment opportunities, suppresses earnings, and increases public costs. Source
Literacy crisis (low reading proficiency) is linked to its very high incarceration rate (~968 per 100,000). “If you don’t have literacy and you don’t have an education, you are walking down a path of … criminal activity.” Source
85% of juveniles who interface with the juvenile court system are functionally low-literate (i.e., struggle with basic reading). Source
70%
of incarcerated individuals read below a 4th-grade level
Low literacy is highly prevalent within correctional populations.
Click the asterisks for sources.
Without urgent intervention, the cycle continues across generations.
This isn’t just about education. It’s about community safety, economic strength, and opportunity for all.
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The Solution: Read in 40
Read in 40 delivers rapid and measurable literacy gains through explicit, structured phonics instruction. Developed and refined over 25 years by educator Rosa Higgs, the program applies science-of-reading principles through a clear, rule-based decoding system designed for learners who have struggled with traditional approaches. In as few as 40 hours, participants can build functional reading proficiency that opens the door to continued learning, employment readiness, and successful reentry. The model is designed to scale across schools, workforce programs, community organizations, and correctional and reentry settings.
Results in Weeks Not Months
Read in 40 has demonstrated outcomes that traditional systems have struggled to achieve for decades.
For students: • Multi-grade reading gains within 40 hours • Improved classroom engagement and attendance • Increased academic confidence and persistence
For adults: • Functional literacy that enables job readiness and workforce participation • Increased confidence navigating daily life, employment applications, and training programs • Reduced reliance on informal or illegal income pathways as employability increases
Across age groups, improved literacy strengthens employability, independence, and community stability.
Impact Across All Ages
Jason
Student
6th Grade
Jason, a 6th-grade student, entered Read in 40 reading significantly below grade level and struggling to stay engaged in class.
After fewer than 40 hours using the Read in 40 workbooks and online lessons, Jason demonstrated dramatic gains in reading and vocabulary, reaching advanced proficiency. His classroom behavior improved, he became more focused, and his confidence and performance across subjects increased.
Maria
English Learner
Age 13
Maria, a 13-year-old English language learner, began the program reading well below grade level and rarely participating in class.
After fewer than 40 hours with Read in 40, Maria achieved advanced reading proficiency with strong accuracy. She became more engaged in school, improved her attendance, and gained the confidence to support her own learning and help her family build literacy skills at home.
Mr. Shelby
Adult Learner
Age 47
Mr. Shelby, a 47-year-old adult learner, left school years ago believing he could not learn to read. He entered Read in 40 seeking a private and structured way to build foundational literacy skills without embarrassment or stigma.
After fewer than 40 hours using the Read in 40 materials, Mr. Shelby achieved functional reading proficiency. He passed his driver’s written test and earned a significant promotion at work. He now navigates daily responsibilities with confidence and continues to pursue new personal and professional opportunities.
What works is known.
What is needed now is action.
Why Investment Matters
Demand for effective literacy intervention now far exceeds available capacity for both children and adults, particularly for learners who have not been served successfully by traditional education systems.
Philanthropic investment enables Read in 40 to expand access to a proven, structured literacy model and respond to growing demand across education, workforce, and correctional and reentry settings. Investment supports the training of facilitators, the delivery of high-impact instruction in person and online, and the digitization of the program to preserve its rigor while dramatically increasing reach.
Investing in Read in 40 is not only an investment in literacy. It is an investment in employability, public safety, and long-term community stability, driven by a model designed to produce rapid, measurable results.
Join us in scaling this solution to reach millions
Literacy is foundational. When people learn to read, everything changes.
We invite funders and partners to act now and help scale a solution that works quickly, effectively, and with measurable impact. Every dollar invested opens doors to education, employment, and independence.
Connect with our Literacy Liaison to learn how you can help scale a proven literacy solution. Your partnership can unlock opportunity at every stage of life.