With only 79 percent of students in Minnesota graduating from high school – 10 percent below the nation’s average – and 41 percent of third-graders in the Twin Cities reading below grade level, there is a strong need for literacy and educational support in Minnesota schools, according to research by the McKnight Foundation.
The Minnesota-based philanthropic foundation is attempting to meet that need in the Twin Cities, with the recent announcement of a new literacy initiative focused on early child development.
The announcement is the result of more than a year of planning and research, revealing that the likelihood of a student graduating from high school is fairly accurately predicted by his or her reading skill by the end of the third grade.
The literacy initiative will therefore focus its efforts on early education, hoping to ultimately increase high school graduation rates and close the achievement gap between white and minority students.
Currently, only 40 percent of Minnesota minority students graduate high school – 39 percent less than the total state percentage.
"This opportunity builds on McKnight’s current early childhood efforts, moving further up the pipeline into important transitions from kindergarten through third grade," said McKnight Foundation president Kate Wolford. "By adding a focus on third-grade literacy, we will safeguard our related investments to prepare children for kindergarten, leverage existing leadership and expertise, and address the educational achievement gap."
The literacy initiative will be directed by the McKnight Foundation’s Region & Communities grantmaking program, which will work with early education advocates in nonprofits, businesses, philanthropic organizations and the education system to boost third-grade literacy rates as well as general education achievement.
Educational attainment is a serious concern nationwide – recent U.S. Census data showed that only 29 percent of adults aged 25 and higher holds a bachelor’s degree, an achievement that earns workers an average of $26,000 more per year. 
How we can apply for a grant to afghan women literacy?
Regards,
Hi Jayshree:
There are several organizations dedicated to increasing literacy for Afghan women. Dr. Sakena Yacoobi, the head of the Afghan Institute of Learning, recently won the Henry R. Kravis Prize for Leadership. You could also try contacting the Afghan Relief Organization.