Photo by Allison Shelley for EDUimages

A CALL TO ACTION:
The State of Early Literacy in New York

Reading, the ability to make meaning from print, is an essential component of literacy, with implications for employment, poverty reduction, public safety, and health outcomes. From an education standpoint, reading proficiently by the end of third grade is the most important indicator of future student success, with students not reading proficiently by the end of 3rd grade being four times more likely to drop out of school. This rate doubles for Black and Latinx students living in poverty.

Yet too many New York students are denied the right to read, especially students of color and those from low-income backgrounds. And despite recent student outcome data and the impact of pandemic-related school closures on reading skills, state and local leaders have yet to boldly address the issue with urgency.

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Key Findings

Our findings, highlighted in this report, revealed the following:

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State leadership, including the New York State Department of Education, the Board of Regents, the Governor’s Office, and the Legislature, have not centered early literacy, the science of reading or the reading crisis in their priorities or initiatives.

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New York’s approach to local education control results in many school districts using non-evidence-based reading curriculum in grades K-5, many of which are proven to be ineffective in teaching students how to read.  
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Parents overwhelmingly support an increased state and local focus on the science of reading, including policy changes, and want more transparency and support from schools to aid their young readers. 
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Teachers are generally supportive of the science of reading and see the impact of poor reading skills on their students in elementary, middle, and high school. 
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Students understand the link between reading and future success, and acknowledge that mental health concerns, being an English language learner, and lacking family support can make reading proficiency difficult for some students. 
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Teacher preparation programs are a major obstacle to improved reading outcomes with most new teachers not being trained in the science of reading or how to use evidence-based literacy instructional resources in the classroom. 
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Experts across the state and nation believe that New York is in desperate need of an increased focus on evidence-based literacy instruction.  
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Many district leaders would welcome more guidance from the state on how to implement the science of reading and evidence–based instruction in their schools. 

The State of Early Literacy in Monroe County

Rochester and Monroe County are rightly proud of being the home of Frederick Douglass, the renowned abolitionist, social reformer, writer, and statesman. Douglass taught himself and countless others to read and write while still enslaved, famously stating, “Once you learn to read, you will be forever free.” Douglass sincerely believed literacy was the key to liberty and equality for Black people in America.

Now, 125 years after Douglass’ death, too many students in Monroe County are not being taught to read—placing their future and Douglass’s vision at risk. Illiteracy is a crisis that Monroe County cannot afford to ignore any longer.

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“Teaching students how to read is a fundamental human right and one of the most important equity and social justice issues facing our state and nation.”

 

What is the Science of Reading?

Research in the science of reading has shown that teaching phonics explicitly and systematically is a critical foundational skill for most children to become proficient readers. However, as noted by the National Reading Panel, the science of reading is more than just phonics and includes instruction in vocabulary, comprehension, and knowledge building, among other topics.

Another way to understand the science of reading is through The Simple View of Reading, which has been empirically validated by over 150 scientific studies.Learning to read requires sounding out and recognizing words (decoding) and making meaning of the words and sentences that are heard (language comprehension). If either of these skills are weak, then reading comprehension is diminished.

Decoding

Ability to apply sound-symbol relationships to read words

Language Comprehension

Ability to understand spoken language

Reading Comprehension 

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Additional Reading and Resources

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Minding the Gap by Natalie Wexler identifies struggles with reading curricula in the U.S. and what states can do to boost student literacy.

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This interactive map of the U.S. identifies 17 early literacy principles which Excel in Education has categorized into 4 sections: Support for Teachers and Policy, Assessment for Parent Notification, Assessment and Intervention, and Retention and Intervention. Upon clicking on a state one can identify how said state adheres to these principles.
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This presentation by Literacy How details Connecticut’s science of reading journey.
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This Chalkbeat article by Alex Zimmerman and Yaov Gonen depicts the challenge faced by NYC Schools Chancellor David Banks as he works to move the city away from the widely used Teachers College balanced literacy curriculum.
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In Teaching Reading is Rocket Science, Louisa Moats details how the science behind reading curricula is highly developed, but that a gap exists between this knowledge and what occurs in classroom instruction for teachers.
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What is the Science of Reading by Nina A. Lorimor-Easley, M.S., M.Ed. at the Iowa Reading Research Center succinctly defines the science of reading, identifies it as evidence-based, and juxtaposes it in relation to reading programs and curriculums.
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In this episode of Extraordinary Districts, co-hosts Karin Chenoweth and Tanji Reed Marshall chew over what they heard and what they learned from five previous episodes that explored different aspects of reading instruction. 
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This Hechinger Report article, NAACP targets a new civil rights issue – reading, by Sarah Carr highlights the NAACP’s education committee and its journey to changing reading instruction in Fairfax County, Virginia.
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This Ed Source article, Reading Dilemma, by Karen D’Souza outlines what parents should know when thinking about teaching young children to read.
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In this podcast, Sold a Story, host Emily Hanford investigates the influential authors who promote blended learning and explores how educators came to believe in something that is not true and are now reckoning with the consequences.

Interested in our early literacy work? Contact us.

This project is made possible thanks in part to the generous support of the Robin Hood Learning + Technology Fund in partnership with Overdeck Family Foundation and Siegel Family Endowment