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Academics
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Literacy

Standardized tests continue to show that a majority of California students perform below grade level in measures of reading and literacy. The stakes are very high: research shows that students who aren’t reading at grade level by the third grade will struggle to catch up throughout their education career. California has recently launched an urgent effort to improve reading literacy for all children, especially in the early grades. Read more about this work in our special report, California’s Reading Dilemma.
California's Reading Dilemma
March 9, 2023

Can common ground be found on teaching reading in California?

A new paper aims to find consensus about literacy curriculum for English language learners and other students and early screeners for reading.

Zaidee Stavely
California's Reading Dilemma
February 1, 2023

Learning to read by third grade requires evidence-based instruction, panel says

Strong parent-teacher partnerships and evidence-based reading strategies are key, panelists said at a roundtable hosted by EdSource.

Betty Márquez Rosales
California's Reading Dilemma
December 20, 2022

Teaching young children how to read: What California parents need to know

What should parents do if they notice their child is falling behind in reading?

Karen D'Souza
California's Reading Dilemma
December 19, 2022

Why California is among last states not screening children for dyslexia

Delays put more students at risk of falling seriously behind, advocates say.

Carolyn Jones
Los Angeles Unified
November 28, 2022

LAUSD’s stunning reading score on NAEP: Illusion, real or something in between?

Was a quick computer distribution during Covid, a literacy initiative or a combination of factors, plus random error, behind a surprising 8th grade score in Los Angeles Unified?

John Fensterwald
Commentary
November 16, 2022

Voters reelected Tony Thurmond; now he needs to keep his promises on literacy

California needs to be screening all K-2 students for dyslexia and should also mandate that districts use literacy curriculum based on the science of reading.

Megan Bacigalupi
California's Reading Dilemma
November 14, 2022

'Just-right' books: Does leveled reading hurt the weakest readers?

Teachers become gatekeepers to books, a longstanding practice in many schools where the assigned reading level is treated as a sacred cow.

Karen D'Souza
Literacy
November 2, 2022

LAUSD superintendent joins experts in supporting pursuit of science of reading

One key way to fight falling test scores, experts suggest, is to dig deep into the exhaustive body of research on how the brain learns to read.

Karen D'Souza
California's Reading Dilemma
November 2, 2022

How badly did the pandemic deepen California's early reading crisis?

The scores may be grim, some say, but they're far from shocking. Some experts warn that cratering test scores warn of a system that was broken long before the pandemic.

Karen D'Souza
California's Reading Dilemma
October 27, 2022

New literacy standards for teacher candidates could be pivotal to improving student reading scores

Accreditation of California teacher preparation programs will hinge on whether they follow new literacy standards that focus more intensely on foundational reading skills.

Diana Lambert
Literacy
October 17, 2022

Q&A: Teaching kids how to read on Zoom

Doing nothing is not an option, experts say. Poor literacy can impact a person’s lifetime income potential by up to 42%.

Karen D'Souza
Literacy
October 11, 2022

Coalition says 'science of reading-aligned' core curricula barely used in California

Most districts used the same three core reading programs from the State Board of Education’s 2015 list of pre-approved curricula

Ali Tadayon
State Education Policy
October 10, 2022

College Corps, with California's first state-run tutoring initiative, is off and running

3,200 college students from 46 campuses will receive $10,000 stipend; half will tutor in 33 school districts, after-school programs in service programs modeled after AmeriCorps and Peace Corps.

John Fensterwald
California's Reading Dilemma
October 6, 2022

How a California school is embracing the science of reading and phonics | Video

Watch how one school embraces the science of reading and phonics to teach children to read.

Jennifer Molina
Commentary
October 4, 2022

Struggling early readers can catch up over time; let's figure out how

Tracking the same students over time reveals previously unseen improvements in reading after third grade.

David Wakelyn