States need to strengthen reading education policies

Key points:

New data and analysis from the National Council on Teacher Quality (NCTQ) show that while many states seek to improve student literacy outcomes, they focus too little on a key component to strong, sustainable implementation: teachers effective.

NCTQ's new report, State of the States: Five Policy Actions to Strengthen Implementation of Reading Science, highlights five key policy actions states should take to strengthen teachers' reading instruction and examines the extent to which states focus on them. The five political actions are:

1. Establish specific and detailed reading standards for teacher preparation programs.
2. Review teacher preparation programs to ensure they teach the science of reading.
3. Adopt a robust primary reading license test.
4. Require districts to select high-quality reading curriculum.
5. Provide professional learning to teachers and ongoing support to sustain the implementation of the science of reading.

Given that there are 1.3 million children who enter fourth grade each year without knowing how to read at a basic level (nearly 40 percent of all fourth graders) and that this number increases even more for students of color, those with learning differences and those who grow up in low-income households, states have a responsibility to ensure that teachers are well prepared to help students learn to read. In fact, estimates suggest that with effective reading instruction, more than 90 percent of students would learn to read, meaning that each year nearly 1 million additional students would enter fourth grade as proficient readers. However, only when state leaders implement a literacy strategy that prioritizes teacher effectiveness can they achieve a teacher workforce that can strengthen student literacy year after year.

“Helping all children learn to read is possible when we have teachers trained in the science of reading,” said Dr. Heather Peske, president of NCTQ. “Just as an orchestra needs each section of instruments to come together to successfully create music, states must implement multiple teacher-centered reading policies that work together to improve student outcomes.”

Across the country, NCTQ found that:

• Nineteen states are taking very few (if any) actions in the five policy areas. Three states are categorized as unacceptable, meaning they have few or no policies in place in most of the five policy areas: Maine, Montana and South Dakota. Sixteen states are classified as weak, meaning they have only a few policies in some of the five policy areas, and none in the other areas: Alaska, Hawaii, Illinois, Iowa, Kentucky, Nebraska, New Jersey, New Hampshire , New York, North Dakota, Oklahoma, Oregon, Vermont, Washington, West Virginia and Wyoming.
• Half of states (26) do not provide specific guidelines to teacher preparation programs about what they should teach aspiring teachers in reading.
• Two-thirds of states (30) leave it to external accreditors to approve how teachers are prepared to teach reading, abdicating their responsibility and ultimately giving this power to entities that do not have the time. , directive, or experience to determine if The program prepares elementary teachers aligned with science-based reading instruction.
• More than half of states (28) use weak licensure tests that do not indicate whether teachers understand the basic components of reading, giving those teachers and the schools that hire them false assurances that teachers are prepared. to teach reading.
• While states spend approximately $1 billion on reading curricula, only nine states require districts to select a high-quality reading curriculum. This is important because previous research outside of NCTQ shows that some of the most popular reading curricula that districts use are not aligned with 50 years of research showing how children best learn to read.
• While more than half of states require and fund some type of professional learning on the science of reading for elementary teachers, more than half a million elementary teachers may be left without any professional learning in the states. states that do not require professional training aligned with research. learning.

“Why do we see a staggering number of children, especially children of color and from low-income backgrounds, without critical literacy skills? Because many districts and schools across the country continue to use outdated teaching methods and curricula that have proven to be ineffective and even harmful,” said Denise.
Forte, president and CEO of The Education Trust. “This NCTQ report calls on state leaders to redouble their efforts to help teachers change students' reading outcomes with five clear actions they can take now.”

“The Maryland State Department of Education applauds NCTQ for its research on state policies and practices that support reading instruction aligned with scientific research,” said Dr. Carey Wright, Maryland Acting State Superintendent. “The path to ensuring a future in which every teacher is equipped with the knowledge and skills to teach reading effectively requires a comprehensive set of policies that hold departments of education, educator preparation programs, and school districts accountable.” promote and provide evidence-based reading instruction. in science. Only then will all students, especially those who have historically been underserved, have the opportunity to receive the essential foundation necessary to succeed in college or career and, most importantly, in life. “Now is the time for state education leaders to step up the call to action.”

In addition to the report, NCTQ produced individual state profiles that provide a snapshot of the reading policy landscape and recommendations for each state and a State Reading Policy Action Guide that identifies concrete steps states can take to strengthen reading instruction. and examples of states that are doing so. Is better.

This press release originally appeared online.

Laura Ascione is the editorial director of eSchool Media. She graduated from the prestigious Philip Merrill School of Journalism at the University of Maryland.

Latest messages from Laura Ascione (see everything)