Helping Teachers Bring the Science of Reading to Life in the Classroom

From podcasts to parents, it seems as though everyone is talking about how kids learn to read and what schools are — or are not — doing about it. While the science of reading is having its moment in the national spotlight, those of us who have been deep in the work know that the debates over literacy instruction have been raging for some time, from the “Mississippi Miracle” and Tennessee’s Read360 initiative to the National Reading Panel report and the Reading First initiative decades ago.

But something feels different this time around. The groundswell of interest and support, from the schoolhouse to the statehouse, suggests this is a true inflection point. Perhaps it is a once-in-a-generation moment to broadly come together, make lasting change around how reading is taught and set educators and their students up for success. The urgency could not be clearer: more than a third of fourth graders, disproportionately students of color, are scoring below basic on NAEP, and the pandemic has only exacerbated our nation’s literacy crisis. 

As of July 2023, 32 states and the District of Columbia have taken the first, important step in championing the science of reading: prioritizing evidence-based research and instructional practice and signaling the importance of these practices through legislation and funding. But in TNTP’s work with more than 300 school systems nationwide, we know that without support for the real-world classroom implementation of these laws and instructional materials, they won’t have their intended impact on young people’s reading ability. 

Read the full article at The 74