---
title: "Expressing the sense of the House of Representatives that the goal of the education system shall be that virtually every American student be able to read at grade level or better."
identifier: "118-HRES-738"
congress: 118
bill_number: 738
bill_type: "HRES"
version_code: "ih"
version_type: "Introduced in House"
bill_url: "https://chamberzero.com/congresses/118/bills/hres/738"
source: "https://www.congress.gov/bill/118th-congress/house-resolution/738"
site: "Chamber Zero"
site_url: "https://chamberzero.com"
rendered_at: "2026-06-04T02:52:49.355Z"
---
Whereas literacy is an essential skill for success in America;Whereas illiteracy continues to challenge thousands of students annually, across many grade levels;Whereas illiteracy has been a silent epidemic which has not been addressed in America for decades and now finds us at a crisis level;Whereas a literacy gap nationwide—measuring 8th grade students who are reading below proficiency—exists at well over 50 percent;Whereas children who struggle to read, become adults who struggle in society; leading to a cycle of poverty;Whereas literacy transforms the lives of students and creates strong communities;Whereas a literacy curriculum with a structured literacy approach that includes multisensory, phonics, and decoding components are foundational reading skills;Whereas literacy programs that include an individual diagnostic assessment by a certified teacher are best set to improve outcomes;Whereas research shows students who are tutored one-on-one, five days a week achieve grade-level movement in reading;Whereas research shows individuals who can read at least at a high school level are more likely to be hired in the job force;Whereas research shows individuals who can read at least at a high school level are less likely to be incarcerated in prison;Whereas research shows Junior ROTC students who are reading at grade level or better are more likely to be accepted into the military; andWhereas the COVID–19 Pandemic exacerbated learning loss among K–12 students.That the House of Representatives—
  - (1) recognizes the goal of the education system shall be that virtually every American student be able to read at grade level or better;
  - (2) encourages that literacy programs should be set up to include one-on-one tutoring for each student diagnosed with a literacy gap of one year or more, five days per week until the student is reading at grade level;
  - (3) encourages State and local government agencies working with private organizations with proven literacy programs to work together to identify and establish solutions to illiteracy; and
  - (4) encourages these same State and local government agencies and private organizations to establish adult literacy programs to help adults who have reading gaps below eighth grade.