California Reading Coalition

You can't expect families to remain silent when they realize schools' reading programs, or anything else, harms their children. Enough is enough. atlantanewsfirst.com/2025/02/19/gut… @MissyPurcell @NAACP @ACLU @ACLU_NorCal @KarenDSouza4 @karenvaites @rpondiscio @TIME

States like #Alabama, #Indiana and #SouthCarolina are leading with evidence-based policies to boost #literacy! Check out Dr. @kymyona_burk’s article exploring the progress and next steps states can take to improve reading outcomes. postandcourier.com/opinion/commen…

Steubennville, OH Seaford, DE Lane, OK ... So many great examples of school districts beating the odds. Thanks @ehanford and @karinchenoweth

The kids can read -- very well -- in Steubenville. Here's why. tinyurl.com/3hfw75pc @ehanford @karinchenoweth @karenvaites @rickhess99 #reading #teaching

If you're looking for something to listen to after Sold a Story Ep 11: The Outlier, I recommend @karinchenoweth's podcast ExtraOrdinary Districts. More stories of more places getting great results. edtrust.org/rti/extraordin… (And Ep 12 is coming Thursday, Feb 27!)

My city was dubbed America's most violent in 2 of my 7 teenage years. My father's skull was crushed by guys wielding a metal pipe. I was stabbed. Cousins killed. Thank God I had teachers who taught me how to read, instead of trying to understand my trauma and build relationship.

@rpondiscio @PatrickRGibbons Here's the largest TPP in my area (as an example), summarized by Google.

@careads @PatrickRGibbons Perhaps not so grandiloquently. But to be sure, to earn my masters I had to demonstrate an ability to teach for social justice and be an agent of change. I was not asked to demonstrate respect for democratically elected public authorities, do my work with humility, etc.

Two things to keep in mind: these kind of performative displays are not representative of teachers at large. However, the culture of education and teacher training does not encourage teachers to see or conduct themselves as public servants and government employees--not free agents or independent professionals. If they did these kinds of videos would never be made.

@rpondiscio @PatrickRGibbons Many are explicitly taught that their role is to change society.

@PatrickRGibbons No, it’s a permission structure thing. If you encourage teachers to see themselves as “child advocates” and “change agents”—not circumspect adults with a captive audience of other people’s children, you create conditions that tolerate and even encourage this.

Reading is a civil right, but California’s early childhood literacy gaps are some of the largest by race and income in the nation. Currently, only 3 in 10 students from low-income communities are reading on grade level. #AB1121 addresses these educational inequities by bringing evidence-based reading instruction aligned with how the brain learns to read, regardless of native language, to every elementary school classroom in CA. Under the strong leadership of @AsmBlancaRubio, EdVoice stands ready to activate our community of advocates and pass this critical bill. EdVoice proudly co-sponsors AB 1121 with @DDCalifornia and @FamsInSchools. More details and advocacy opportunities may be found at our campaign website: californiakidsread.org #CaliforniaKidsRead #RightToRead #CloseTheReadingGap #EarlyLiteracy #EarlyLiteracyMatters #ScienceOfReading #EducationEquity #LiteracyCrisis #EarlyLiteracySkills #YesOnAB1121 #ChangingPolicyChangingLives

So the latest Sold A Story Podcast episode is out The link to the episode is on Tweet 2 of 2. Thanks @ehanford - for how you continue to move the ball forward around effective reading instruction. Here are my main takeaways: -"Movements sometimes gloss over details and when it comes to reading the details are essential."-(We must proceed with caution). -Meeting students' primary needs with compassion is an important element to consider when addressing the literacy crisis. (Kids don't care how much we know unless they know we care.) -When working with a population with many needs building staff capacity is essential to closing the reading gap. -Success is NOT determined by socioeconomic status. Poverty is no excuse for reading failure. -Teachers can be empowered enough to say: " I have never met a child who I can't teach how to read or that I don't know what to do. (What a dream!!) -The "letter names first" or "letter sounds first" debate has not been settled yet. But what is clear is that children will need to learn both to become literate. -To close the reading gap kids will need extended opportunities for reading practice. -Reading and writing instruction needs to be taught via direct/explicit instruction and in an evidence-based way. -From preschool, it is important to expect kids to speak in full sentences -The early years are essential to reading development and closing the gap. (Preschool) -School attendance needs a proactive approach. (students who are not in school can't learn). -One must consider that every teacher can be a teacher of reading…including gym teachers… which leads to every tier 1 reading group being a small group. (Imagine the impact of that). -Data-driven instruction and grouping kids based on needs/skills can propel everyone forward. (This benefits all kids in the learning continuum spectrum). -Reading instruction based on students' level/skills regardless of grade level. (Needs-based instruction) -Early intervention is essential. Every first grader has a reading tutoring( 1 to 1 instruction). Those who are behind get additional reading time every day ( parents, teachers, older students, and college students are all enrolled and trained to provide students with this type of support) -Consistency in instruction is often an unsung hero. (unsurprisingly, at Steubenville they have a laser-like focus on growing proficient readers (The number of initiatives that many school districts embark on all at once is often dizzying). -Empowered teachers help grow empowered and confident readers.

Sold a Story is back. @ehanford @CLPeak report from a high-poverty school where every child is a successful reader. ❤️ I especially appreciate the deftly-delivered message that this school does not eschew a whole child focus. We hear from the literacy coach who runs the school clothing closet. It’s a good reminder that “caring for the whole child” and “organizing the school to guarantee reading success” are not in conflict with each other.

“States that have seen improvement …are working to achieve systemic change and to effectively implement strong policies that put students at the center. It will take time. Stay the course.” Updates to earlyliteracymatters.org are now live! @ExcelinEd excelined.org/2025/02/20/how…

What if I told you that in a small, rust belt city, where abandoned buildings line the streets, kids are doing better in reading than in some of the richest school districts in America? youtube.com/shorts/KsBNfsr…

New episode of Sold a Story available now. Episode 11: The Outlier There's a school district in eastern Ohio where virtually all students become good readers by the time they finish third grade. How did they do it? podcasts.apple.com/us/podcast/sol…

The Outlier Sold a Story Episode 11: There’s a school district in eastern Ohio where virtually all the students become good readers by the time they finish third grade. How did they do it?

For anyone wondering if it's even possible to teach all kids to read, Steubenville provides an answer. It's not a miracle--it's thoughtful hard work and relentless optimism.

New episode available now! Ep 11: The Outlier features.apmreports.org/sold-a-story/

"Some people think 'Sold a Story' is about phonics. That’s not quite right. Many schools were teaching phonics. But they were also teaching beginning readers other strategies to read words. These strategies were the same ones used by struggling readers—like looking at the first letter of a word and thinking of something that makes sense." aei.org/op-eds/how-a-p…

I’m so grateful to @ehanford for shining a light on what works! Also thrilled to know it’s what we’ve known for 30 years, back when we implemented Reading First - evidence-based instruction targeted at current skill levels with relentless pursuit of outcomes by the end of grade 1

Third graders in Steubenville, Ohio, are among the best little readers in the nation. For nearly 20 years, the elementary schools in this economically depressed area have produced better readers than some of the wealthiest places in the country. apmreports.org/story/2025/02/…