Virginia is behind Louisiana, Mississippi and Tennessee when it comes to helping all children read by third grade. These states have taken a back-to-the-basics approach grounded in research and evidence and they have results to show for it.
In 2022, 1 in 4 children in Virginia were not meeting literacy benchmarks. Although reading Standards of Learning scores have declined across most divisions in third and eighth grade, Black, Hispanic and disadvantaged children are at the highest risk for reading and math difficulties.
The research is clear: When children are not reading by third grade, they are four times more likely to drop out of school. When children cannot read, they cannot learn. If children do not have a strong foundation in reading, math, and writing, they will struggle in K-12, higher education and in the workforce. This is a problem that affects us all.
The documentary “The Right to Read” sheds light on how we have failed children, teachers and families. The film follows an NAACP activist and two American families fighting for literacy as our greatest civil right. It is a beacon of hope that shows that improving reading rates is possible if we use evidence-based reading instruction that includes the five pillars of early literacy (phonemic awareness, phonics, vocabulary, fluency and comprehension), dyslexia screening, professional development, literacy coaches and tutoring to help children. Every child’s progress is monitored, and intervention is provided every step of the way for struggling readers.
The National Council on Teacher Quality recently released an evaluation of more than 693 undergraduate and teacher training programs and found that 40% of programs instruct aspiring educators to use ineffective teaching practices and are not aligned with the science of reading. We are not equipping and empowering our teachers with the skills they need to be successful in the classroom.
The Virginia Literacy Act (VLA) was passed in 2022 with bipartisan support in the legislature. Gov. Glenn Youngkin signed the bill and it is funded for kindergarten through third grade. Virginia is moving in the right direction, but we can’t move fast enough. There must be a sense of urgency to fix this problem, a strong focus on implementation and accountability throughout the state. Our children are struggling, our teachers are frustrated and school leaders are facing multiple challenges.
The VLA will make sure every teacher is using an evidence-based literacy curriculum, train teachers on how to help children become strong readers, assess student learning, develop individualized reading plans, monitor progress, provide reading specialists, deploy reading coaches, and provide access to online literacy resources for families. This is good policy and now we must ensure strong implementation across Virginia for every student, regardless of zip code.
Our local school boards have a responsibility to work alongside superintendents to ensure that teachers have the tools, skills and support to reach all children. School board meetings must spend time focused on monitoring literacy benchmarks in kindergarten, first, second and third grade with a goal that every student is reading by third grade.
If third grade reading benchmarks are a concern, school boards must focus on how to improve student performance over the next three to five years. There must be a data-driven approach that includes setting goals, implementing strategies and monitoring data. Ultimately, we should ask the question, Are our children on track? Budget decisions should align with what our students need and the outcomes we want for every child.
Every child in Virginia and the United States has the right to read. This is a call to action for all of us. Literacy leads to freedom and opportunity. We are asking every business leader, philanthropist, superintendent, school board member, university faculty, policymaker and concerned citizen to watch the documentary and raise your hand to make early literacy a top priority.
E3:Elevate Early Education and WHRO teamed up to show segments of The Right to Read documentary, listen to a panel of experts and discuss the implementation of the Virginia Literacy Act on Aug. 8 from 12-2 p.m. at WHRO. The screening event is open to the public; please register at whro.org/community/39684-screening-discussion-the-right-to-read.
Lisa Howard is the president and CEO of E3: Elevate Early Education, The New E3 School and Raise Your Hand, Virginia Campaign. Email her at [email protected]. Rodney Jordan is a grandparent, Norfolk Public School Board member and past president of the Virginia School Boards Association. Email him at [email protected]. Jenny Mackenzie is an Emmy Award-winning filmmaker committed to telling important social and racial justice stories. Email her at [email protected].
