Candidates must be proficient in reading and writing the language of instruction in the proposed country of study.

UNESCO: Sources

Less than half of Providence fourth-graders are deemed proficient in reading and math, and roughly one third of city students will drop out of high school.

WSJ: RI city wins $5M Bloomberg prize with word gap fix

Under the rules, schools without 100% of their students proficient in math and reading by 2014 would be labeled failures and face sanctions, such as being required to redirect federal money toward tutoring.

WSJ: Obama Shifts View of Executive Power

Just 7 percent of fourth-grade and 3 percent of eighth-grade English learners scored "proficient" or above in a nationwide reading exam, and thousands languish for years in ineffective English-as-a-second-language programs.

NPR: Instruction Of Students Learning English Bleak

By third grade, children from low-income families who are not reading at grade level are six times less likely to graduate from high school than students who are proficient.

WHITEHOUSE: The White House