The growing demand for early reading instruction
According to EdWeek, “At least 18 states and the District of Columbia have said that they plan to use COVID-19 relief funding through the American Rescue Plan or previous aid packages to support teacher training or instruction in evidence-based approaches to early literacy.” And over the past year, four states have passed new laws or enacted regulations that mandate teachers be taught, and use, techniques that are grounded in the large body of research on how children learn to read.
Missing from this list is the state of Massachusetts, which has not publicly declared its commitment to using COVID-19 relief funding to support evidence-based approaches to early literacy
On the other hand, our neighboring state of Connecticut passed a law requiring schools to use “evidence-based” reading materials, to be selected from an approved list drawn up by a department of education committee.
Advice for literacy programs:
Literacy programs must encourage students to have ownership of their reading journey.
Foster teacher buy-in through confidence building, training,
Balance components of literacy instruction, like the science of reading, building vocabulary and background knowledge and developing comprehension skills.
Reading materials and instructions provided by programs should be align with with the classroom/curriculum
#policyreccomendations #massachusetts
