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Gulf Today
11-08-2025
- Politics
- Gulf Today
Has California turned the page on its reading crisis?
Molly Gibbs, Tribune News Service For years California has faced a literacy crisis, with less than half of third- and fourth-graders reading at grade level in the 2023-24 school year and the state often trailing national reading achievement. Even before the coronavirus pandemic stalled learning, California students struggled to meet reading expectations. Recent state and national testing data shows they have been slow to regain ground lost during the pandemic. The gap between socioeconomically disadvantaged students and their more affluent peers is wider than ever, and the second largest in the nation. Now, though, with Gov. Gavin Newsom pledging to include $200 million in funding for evidence-based literacy instruction in the state budget and California schools preparing for the first time this year to screen every student in kindergarten through second grade for reading challenges, educators and literacy advocates are hopeful the state will finally turn a page in the decades-long struggle. But how did we get here? And why does California struggle more than most states with getting students up to reading standards? The best way to teach kids how to read has been widely debated in the Golden State, and educators and literacy advocates have said some students are capable of masking their reading struggles because of the way schools have taught reading for decades — a technique referred to as 'balanced' literacy. Using a blend of whole language and phonics, balanced literacy focuses on teaching students to memorize sight words and use context and picture cues to understand a word's meaning. Kim Tran, a K-5th-grade reading specialist and partner with the UC Berkeley California and Literature Reading Project, called it a 'guessing game' where students look at the first letter and last letter of a word they don't know and try to guess the rest. 'That's just kind of muddling through it and hoping there's enough pictures or context for you to understand what's happening,' she said. But decades of growing research — referred to as the science of reading — has revealed that balanced literacy isn't the most effective way to teach students to read. Also known as structured literacy or evidence-based reading, the science of reading uses cognitive research, focusing on phonics, comprehension and fluency. Most states have adopted this approach, but California has not amid pushback from teachers unions and English-learner advocates. 'The whole point is that you don't teach them to get proficient in reading by teaching them guessing and teaching them to pretend to read,' said Rachel Hurd, a San Ramon Valley Unified school board member. 'You teach them to read and they practice reading and in the meantime you read to them a ton so that they're interested.' The National Council on Teacher Quality found that California is behind most other states in implementing the science of reading and ranks among the worst in the nation for the quality of its reading programs. But a new bill — AB 1454 — is moving through the state Legislature and would provide state-approved training and textbooks to all teachers on evidence-based reading. Marshall Tuck, CEO of the educational advocacy nonprofit EdVoice — a key supporter of the bill — said one of the biggest reasons California has been slow to implement evidence-based reading curriculum is because of the state's emphasis on local control, especially in schools, meaning it's up to districts to decide curriculum and funding priorities. 'A lot of districts that maybe had been teaching kids to read a certain way for a long period of time without that very focused engagement from the state, it's quite hard for them to change,' Tuck said. New curriculum is expensive, school board member Hurd pointed out, and many Bay Area districts are already cash-strapped and short-staffed. The $200 million included in the budget for evidence-based reading instruction is one-time funding, so districts would need to pay for future training and instruction. Unlike oral language, reading is not a natural ability we're born with, explained Kristen Koeller, a San Jose-based reading specialist with more than 22 years of experience teaching California students. It's a skill that needs to be taught at a young age, usually by the end of 3rd grade. After that, it's much harder to rewire the brain, Koeller said. After third grade, California switches from an emphasis on learning to read to 'reading to learn,' said Chris Norwood, founder of the Bay Area Tutoring Association and president of the Milpitas Unified School Board. 'So if the skills aren't developed, then all of a sudden you start to see an increase in the skill gaps of individuals because now they're not able to read and comprehend and execute what the teacher may be asking,' Norwood said. Many students who spent their early education in distance-based or virtual learning — referred to as the 'COVID kindergarteners' — continue to face additional challenges. Tran, the reading specialist, said it was hard to teach students to read on a computer screen where you couldn't hear all of the kids, many were dealing with technology issues and students struggled to focus. But educators said it wasn't until those COVID kindergarteners hit fourth grade last year that the significant impact the pandemic had on their education was really clear — and shocking. Michelle Robell, a first-grade teacher in Palo Alto, said even kids who appeared to be reading weren't always understanding the material. 'They can be a super strong reader that can read super fast and super accurate, but they have no idea what they're reading,' Robell said. Technology has also had an impact. Robell said students are used to slouching in chairs and staring at tablets, so she has to spend more time teaching kids to sit up and look up from the ground before she teaches them to read. Kids are used to instant gratification from their devices and have shorter attention spans, Koeller added. And kids imitate their parents, Koeller pointed out. She sees parents drop off their kids at school while scrolling on their phones instead of engaging with their child. 'You learn to read in part through talking. ... Any verbal skills that are lacking have to be made up for in school before you can really start to learn how to read,' Koeller said. But even when parents promote a love for literacy, success isn't guaranteed. Karla Galvez-Lima, a parent of two young children in West Contra Costa County, said she exposed her 7-year-old daughter, Camilla, to reading at a young age, prioritizing story time and taking her to the library every week. But Camilla began to pull away from her love for reading after first grade, and she was no longer reading at grade level. Galvez-Lima said she doesn't know why, but thinks there is a disconnect between what students learn in school and what they practice at home. She wishes there were 'a bridge between the two' to support students. Still, educators say while it might be harder to teach students how to read in a post-pandemic and technologically advancing world, and California has trailed many states in reading, they're hopeful. 'I do feel like we've turned a corner in California,' Koeller said. 'The question is, will state leaders and district leaders recognize that this crisis needs immediate attention? This isn't something that we're going to work on for the next five to eight years. We need to get busy, and we need to get busy now because it's kids in the crosshairs. ... It's a crisis, but it's a solvable crisis.'
Newsweek
03-06-2025
- Business
- Newsweek
Republican-led State Setting an Example for Teaching Math
Based on facts, either observed and verified firsthand by the reporter, or reported and verified from knowledgeable sources. Newsweek AI is in beta. Translations may contain inaccuracies—please refer to the original content. Alabama was the only state to earn a "Strong" rating its math education in a new report from the National Council on Teacher Quality released Tuesday. The state, which has historically leaned red, achieved a strong rating across five core policy areas. Why It Matters Historically, Republican-leaning poor states have suffered from reduced education funding and teacher gaps, leading to lower scores and educational quality. In previous years, Alabama ranked near the bottom of all states, so the new report shows significant progress in public school classrooms. University of Alabama graduates wait to hear President Donald Trump deliver remarks at Coleman Coliseum on May 1, 2025, in Tuscaloosa. University of Alabama graduates wait to hear President Donald Trump deliver remarks at Coleman Coliseum on May 1, 2025, in To Know Alabama earned a rating of "Strong" in the following five areas, according to the report: Set specific, detailed math standards for teacher preparation programs. Review teacher preparation programs to ensure they provide robust math instruction. Adopt a strong elementary math licensure test, and require all elementary candidates to pass it. Require districts to select high-quality math curricula aligned to state standards. Provide professional learning and ongoing support for teachers aligned with high-quality math curricula. When accounting for socioeconomic conditions, Alabama ranks 12th in the nation, according to the National Council on Teacher Quality, after placing 32nd last year. "Without a doubt, Alabama's leadership played a major role in putting the state on top. State Superintendent Dr. Mackey set a bold vision for Alabama, set high-quality, Alabama-specific math standards, and worked with legislative champions to take a comprehensive approach," Heather Peske, president of the National Council on Teacher Quality, told Newsweek. Higher math scores are generally linked to college opportunities and more lucrative careers. Despite this, one in four fourth-graders nationally cannot do math at a basic level, the report found. Last week, Alabama Governor Kay Ivey announced that the state's Pre-K through 3rd Grade Integrated Approach to Early Learning (P-3) would be implemented in 55 new classrooms. That means classrooms will get more funding, potentially leading to higher achievement. Earlier this year, Alabama's fourth-graders experienced the largest average score increase from 2019 to 2024. The state's ranking grew from 40th two years ago to 32nd despite being last in the nation in 2019, according to Alabama Daily News. Nationwide, only 12 states and the District of Columbia used a "strong" or "acceptable" math licensure test and required all elementary teachers to pass it. The state were: Alabama, Arkansas, Connecticut, Kansas, Kentucky, Nevada, New York, Rhode Island, Tennessee, Texas, Vermont and Wyoming. According to the Programme for International Student Assessment, the U.S. ranked 34th in math among 78 participating countries in 2022. What People Are Saying Alabama Governor Kay Ivey, in a statement: "Each year, Alabama's P-3 approach continues to build momentum and grow to provide a smooth transition from pre-K to third grade. Strong students lead to a strong Alabama, and these learning efforts will ensure we continue to strengthen our schools and provide the best education for all students." Heather Peske, president of the National Council on Teacher Quality, told Newsweek: "Strong math skills add up to better reading scores, stronger college readiness, and eventually higher earnings for students. If states want their students to succeed, they can take a page out of Alabama's playbook for better preparing and supporting our elementary teachers in math instruction." Alabama State Superintendent of Education Dr. Eric Mackey, in a statement: "You can't improve math outcomes by focusing on just one piece. Real progress happens when your standards, assessments, instructional materials, coaching, and teacher preparation all point in the same direction. Alignment isn't the finish line—it's the starting point." What Happens Next On a larger scale, Alabama may lead as an example for how other states can improve their public schools. "Empowering teachers with the knowledge and skills to teach math effectively is essential for improving life outcomes for all children," Peske said. "If we want students to succeed, we need to invest in better preparation and support for great math instruction."
Yahoo
03-06-2025
- Business
- Yahoo
Ohio rated 'weak' on math elementary level policy instruction by new report
Ohio school children in a classroom. (Photo by Morgan Trau.) Ohio is 'weak' on policies to strengthen elementary teachers' math instruction, according to a new report by the National Council on Teacher Quality. Ohio is one of 25 states that received a 'weak' rating by the NCTQ report that was released Tuesday. Only Alabama received a strong rating and seven states earned an unacceptable rating — Arizona, Hawaii, Maine, Missouri, Montana, Nebraska, and New Hampshire, according to the report. SUBSCRIBE: GET THE MORNING HEADLINES DELIVERED TO YOUR INBOX The states earned their ratings based on these five policies — Set specific, detailed math standards for teacher preparation programs. Review teacher preparation programs to ensure they are providing robust math instruction. Adopt a strong elementary math licensure test. Require districts to select high-quality math curricula and support skillful implementation. Provide professional learning and ongoing support for teachers to sustain effective math instruction. A weak rating means a state has some of those policies in place, but not all. Ohio was strong in teacher preparation programs and received a moderate ranking in having a strong elementary math licensure program, according to the report. 'Ohio's made significant investments in professional learning for teachers in reading, but much fewer investments in financially supporting professional learning in math instruction,' said NCTQ President Heather Peske. This past school year was the first year Ohio school districts were required to teach the science of reading curriculum, which is based on decades of research that shows how the human brain learns to read and incorporates phonemic awareness, phonics, fluency, vocabulary, and comprehension. Some of the Ohio's 2023 two-year budget went toward the science of reading — $86 million for educator professional development, $64 million for curriculum and instructional materials, and $18 million for literacy coaches. 'You can do two things at once,' Peske said. 'It's really important to kids that they have strong reading instruction and strong math instruction, so it's high time that Ohio focused on improving math instruction, especially at the elementary level.' Student math scores predict future earnings better than reading scores, Peske said. 'Strong math skills add up to better reading scores, stronger college readiness, and eventually even higher earnings for students,' she said. Ohio math scores are below pre-pandemic levels, according to the Nation's 2024 Report Card. Approximately 235,000 fourth-graders from 6,100 schools and 230,000 eighth-graders from 5,400 schools participated in the 2024 math and reading assessments between January and March of last year. In Ohio, the average fourth-grade math score was 239, two points higher than the national average and one point higher than the state's fourth grade math scores in 2022. The scale for NAEP scores is 0-500. The state's average eighth-grade math score was 279, seven points higher than the national average and three points higher than the state's 2022 test. 'If we want to improve student math outcomes, we really need to better prepare and support elementary teachers in their math instruction,' Peske said. Ohio lawmakers are paying attention to student math scores. Ohio Senate Bill 19 would require school districts or individual schools to come up with a math achievement improvement plan if they don't have at least 52% of students receive a proficient score in math comprehension. The bill has had three hearings so far in the Senate Education Committee. Follow Capital Journal Reporter Megan Henry on Bluesky. SUPPORT: YOU MAKE OUR WORK POSSIBLE
Yahoo
02-06-2025
- Business
- Yahoo
In Dozens of Districts, Teachers Can't Afford to Live Near Their Schools
In a recent analysis, Katherine Bowser of the National Council on Teacher Quality finds that teachers are increasingly being priced out of housing in their communities. She notes that, between 2019 and 2024, the percentage growth in home prices and the cost of renting a one-bedroom apartment have significantly outpaced increases in both inflation and teacher salaries. In short, teachers face, 'a widening gap between income and housing affordability,' according to NCTQ President Heather Peske. The U.S. Department of Housing and Urban Development defines 'affordable' as 'paying no more than 30% of gross income for housing costs, including utilities.' NCTQ had previously looked at a select sample of 69 large urban districts and found 18 where beginning teacher salaries met the definition for 'unaffordable' as of 2019. By 2024, that number had risen to 39, or about half the sample. In 10 of those districts, the rent for a one-bedroom apartment cost 40% of a beginning teacher's salary. In Boston, for example, it would eat up nearly 43%. Bowser notes that the picture today is even grimmer when looking at a teacher's prospects for purchasing a home. Using some (ambitious) estimates about how much an educator could save toward a down payment on a mortgage and comparing it with local real estate prices, Bowser finds that teachers would struggle to purchase a home in 54 out of 56 sample districts. These are extreme numbers. But who or what is to blame? And what can be done? Related One potential solution starts with a simple premise. If teachers can't find affordable housing, school districts could partner with developers to build apartments and become landlords to their own employees. This has been a particular focus in California, where state Superintendent of Public Education Tony Thurmond and a coalition of legislators and developers are encouraging districts to repurpose empty buildings and unused land to address housing needs. That may seem like a good idea at first blush, but previous efforts have been plagued by delays and rules that prevent 'low-income' housing subsidies from going to people who are not truly low-income. In other words, teachers often make too much to qualify for extra financial assistance. The idea that districts can solve teacher housing issues is also complicated by the fact that educators are far from the only group of workers who struggle to make ends meet in high-cost urban areas. Indeed, recent studies have found that high housing costs have led to lower mobility and fewer opportunities for people to climb the economic ladder. If police officers, social workers, janitors and cleaners, bus drivers, food service workers and many other types of low- and moderate-income employees are all being priced out of many American cities, there's only so much a school board can do. In that case, the 'teacher' housing problem is largely a generic, community-wide affordability problem that will be solved only by building more housing units. But even if individual school boards cannot solve this big, societal trend, education policymakers are not helping. In fact, their choices have made the housing affordability problem worse. How? By not turning rising revenues into higher salaries, they've chosen to prioritize a larger education workforce over a better-paid one. In turn, that makes it harder for teachers and other school employees to afford housing in the places where they work. Related As I noted in a recent project for The 74, school spending is keeping up with or even outpacing inflation in many parts of the country, but those investments are not translating into higher compensation for district employees. If those salaries had merely kept up with total education spending, they would be 34% higher. At the national level, that would have worked out to a $22,000 raise for the average school employee. In Portland, Oregon, for example, NCTQ's Bowser finds that it would take 41% of a beginning teacher's salary to rent a one-bedroom apartment. But that's not for lack of investments in the district. As we found in our report, Portland's revenues rose 54% from 2002 to 2022 in inflation-adjusted, per-pupil terms. (That is, the district revenues increased much faster than inflation.) And yet, the average salary paid to Portland school employees fell by 8%. Portland, like many parts of the country, did not turn budget increases into salary gains for its workers. These trends have continued in recent years. While Portland housing prices surged over the last five years, the district lost 10% of its student enrollment. At the same time, it added the equivalent of 445 full-time employees to its payroll (an 8% increase). In other words, instead of leaning into the housing problem and trying to pay its existing workers higher salaries, the Portland school district actually made the city's housing problems just a bit worse by hiring more, lower-paid workers.I don't want to just pick on Portland here. As we showed in our project last month, 90% of districts are making these types of choices. But they effectively mean that school district leaders in some of the biggest, most expensive places to live are making budgetary decisions that add to the housing difficulties in their communities.
New York Post
16-05-2025
- Politics
- New York Post
NYC should look to the Mississippi Miracle to learn how to teach reading
If you're a parent of a young reader, would you rather start off in Manhattan or Mississippi? The answer may surprise you. Today, fourth-grade students in Mississippi read almost a full school year ahead of their peers in New York City, according to national test scores. Advertisement It wasn't always this way. In the early 2000s, Mississippi students trailed New York City by half a year. Now students in the Magnolia State read above the national average. Advertisement Mississippi isn't alone: Other high-poverty Southern states have made major gains. These dynamics are part of a post-pandemic shift of red states overtaking blue ones academically. Here's another way of understanding these data: About 31,000 New York City fourth-graders scored at the Below Basic level last year. Advertisement These students struggle to interpret the main character's actions in 'The Tale of Desperaux,' a classic story of a mouse on a quest to rescue a beautiful princess. In this summer's primary election, New Yorkers will effectively choose their next mayor, and the stakes couldn't be higher for Gotham's aspiring readers. Here are three things that the city's next mayor should learn from Mississippi and other Southern states about improving literacy. A general view of school children pictured leaving school on the last day of school before summer vacation on June 18, 2024. Christopher Sadowski Advertisement First, be honest and support struggling readers. While 90% of New York parents think their child reads at or above grade level, only 45% actually do. Mississippi doesn't have this kind of honesty gap. The state sends written notice to parents when children are at risk of being held back and requires schools to create Individualized Reading Plans. These plans include targeted interventions and progress monitoring. Schools also offer summer reading camps with small-group support. Line chart shows reading levels of fourth graders in Mississippi, US, and New York from 2003 to 2024. Mike Guillen/NY Post Design Second, empower educators. Through no fault of their own, teachers around the United States are not well-trained in how to teach reading. Of the 16 teacher-prep programs in New York City, 12 earn a D or F from the latest National Council on Teacher Quality reviews. Advertisement After passing a comprehensive literacy bill in 2013, Mississippi funded a two-year course in evidence-based reading methods for all elementary teachers. The state teachers' association supported the change. NYC could offer salary bonuses for completely similar training. Skeptical of adopting a 'red state' reform? Advertisement Research shows that intensive literacy coaching improved outcomes at scale in California. These investments deliver more bang for the buck than just increasing spending. Under the current mayor, the NYC Reads initiative ended Columbia Teachers College's 'balanced literacy' program, which had been the main approach in city schools for 30 years, and replaced it with three evidence-based programs. Advertisement Two — EL Education and Wit & Wisdom — emphasize nonfiction and reading whole novels, a rarity in an age of rampant screen time. While teachers have been offered some professional learning opportunities, implementation has been uneven. Teachers need more time and support to unlearn what they thought for three decades was the right approach for kids. In the old Teachers College model, fourth-graders reading at a second-grade level were given easy, 'just right' books. Advertisement But research shows this doesn't build vocabulary or background knowledge. As Tim Shanahan of the University of Illinois-Chicago wrote, 'If students are working with texts that they can already read quite well . . . there is little opportunity for learning.' The new curriculum rightly demands grade-level texts, but learning new ways to support students takes time. As Robert Pondiscio wrote in these pages last month, 'If we're serious about raising literacy rates, we need to sustain this effort across years, mayors and chancellors.' Finally, set difficult but achievable goals. In 2013, Mississippi's governor set a clear reading goal — one his successor continues to prioritize. No other governor or mayor does this. Former US Secretary of Education Arne Duncan recently noted, 'There are no education goals for the country.' With 70% of NYC jobs expected to require some college, the next mayor could set a 2% to 3% annual literacy-growth goal. Over a decade, that would give students a real shot at success. Mississippi's growth has been called a miracle, but that term implies supernatural causes. The state's gains have been made by leaders and teachers implementing a well-designed strategy for a decade. They also know much work remains to see the same rate of growth in eighth-grade scores. New Yorkers take pride in having the best of everything — and often, they do have the best. But when it comes to teaching reading, it's time for humility, and time to learn from those who are doing better. David Scarlett Wakelyn is a former New York Deputy Secretary for Education and a consultant at Upswing Labs. Michael Hartney is the Bruni Family Fellow at Stanford University's Hoover Institution and an associate professor of political science at Boston College.
