As part of a longitudinal study, student and parent interviews were conducted to collect data on the research question, "What is the impact of literacy on the occupations/schooling of 20 1976 high school graduates who had been classified as low readiness students in the first grade?" Of the 20 students originally in the "Twenty Lives" longitudinal study, only 18 could be contacted for this followup. Based on the new data, it seemed possible for individuals to enter school with less than auspicious beginnings and still succeed. Many of the participants in this followup study were doing quite well in achieving their personal goals and aspirations, even though they all had been classified as low readiness students in the first grade. It appears that the impact of literacy on the occupations and schooling of these young people has been considerable and, for the most part, positive. In addition to such tangible variables as socioeconomic status, parental education, school environment, or health, many less tangible variables--model, motivation, interest, perseverance, and pressure--have been equally important in affecting the development of these individuals from childhood through young adulthood. In fact, the results of this study suggested that these intangible variables, rather than being peripheral, may indeed be crucial to the occupational and educational achievement of low readiness students. (The investigator's accounts of parent and student interviews, and appendixes of forms, instruments, and transcripts used in this followup study are included.) (RL)