Reading Universe is brought to you by:

• The Barksdale Reading Institute, working to improve the overall quality of public education in Mississippi through strategic literacy initiatives and by providing professional development to teachers and administrators. 
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• WETA, the leading public broadcasting station in the nation's capital and serves our community with educational, cultural, news and public affairs programs and services. Its ambitious national education projects include Reading Rockets, Colorin Colorado, AdLit, and LDonline. 
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• First Book, a non-profit social enterprise that addresses the needs of the whole child supporting their education, basic needs, and wellness – all of which are essential to educational equity. All of these resources are made affordable to our member network of more than 550,000 educators who exclusively serve kids in need.

Reading Universe is deeply grounded in the remarkable 20-year history of The Barksdale Reading Institute, founded and funded by Jim Barksdale to advance literacy in his home state of Mississippi.

Mississippi is one of the poorest states in the U.S. and historically ranked at or near the bottom in terms of reading achievement. Over the last decade, in large part due to the Barksdale Reading Institute's persistence in bringing the science of reading to every level of Mississippi's education pipeline, Mississippi's reading rankings improved dramatically.

As a result, the state stands alone in its rate of progress: from last place to the national average for fourth grade reading, to second place nationally in growth for low-income children; and to seventh place in growth for African American students.