Opinion

COREY BROOKS: Chicago schools are failing kids at the one skill that can change their lives

We must become merciless in our pursuit of literacy, and there should be no excuses

By Corey Brooks Fox News

Published October 27, 2026 10:00am EDT | Updated October 27, 2026 9:59am EDT

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In Chicago, one of America’s prized and wealthiest cities, only 23% of its fourth graders scored proficient or higher in reading on the 2024 National Assessment of Educational Progress, which is also known as the Nation’s Report Card. Another 53% scored below basic.

That means that three out of four fourth-graders could not demonstrate solid command of reading skills, and more than half lacked even partial mastery. What is even worse is that the increase in reading proficiency from fourth to eighth grade was only four percentage points—from 23% to 27%. Despite having these damning statistics before them, the educators and parents raised no alarms—those who improved were the exception to the rule.

I have discussed youth literacy in previous Rooftop Revelations, and it remains the most pressing issue for the youth I serve. There are real humans behind these test scores. And you will notice that I did not bring race into this issue yet. Those numbers are for all of Chicago’s students. We are all affected by........

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