58% of Delaware public school students cannot read on grade level. That’s according to the Delaware Department of Education. Even more alarming: 15 public schools in our state have single-digit proficiency, meaning over 90% of students in those buildings cannot read or do math on grade level. That raises one of the most important questions facing Delaware education today: How do we dramatically improve early-grade literacy? Some states have adopted a mandatory 3rd-grade reading-retention law — r