teachers | district leadership | school leadership | science of reading
at the start of this year, several state leaders kicked off the year with strong commitments of money and resources to improve literacy in their schools through the immediate implementation of evidence-based reading instruction, often referred to as the “science of reading.” the governors of new york and maryland offered guidelines, not mandates, for school districts to focus on adopting reading instruction practices and materials that are evidence-based. in january, the maryland state board of education approved a resolution declaring that all public schools align with the science of reading by the 2024-2025 school year but delayed these plans due to extensive revisions finalizing its comprehensive science of reading policy on october 22, 2024. with this, maryland joins 39 other states and the district of columbia that have committed to aligning with the science of reading over the past ten years.
these states’ goals are overarchingly the same, but their plans, timelines, and benchmarks differ. what do they need to consider and include to be successful in improving student reading outcomes?
translating statements into fruitful actions
it is clear that, whether offering guidance or mandating the adoption of evidence-based reading instruction, all states recognize that the training and support of teachers is the lynchpin to successfully implementing the science of reading and improving literacy in schools. declaring these commitments and financing them doesn’t mean the desired outcomes will be achieved, and certainly not right away.
in the three principles of effective implementation, we explain the frequent disconnect between a curricular or instructional decision and its eventual effect on learning. “once a decision has crystallized, the expectation is immediate staff compliance, often devoid of ample time for exploration, reflection, and understanding. leaders must then craft opportunities that hasten the learning process and cultivate the correct mindset prior to setting implementation goals. true implementation effectiveness is unattainable without a deep understanding and belief in the approach.”
cultivate the correct mindset. deep understanding and belief.
these things don’t happen overnight. with new york and maryland aiming to implement these changes in a very small window of time, educators were left with many questions. were they allowing enough time for teachers to be trained and ready to implement the changes? did teachers have time to buy into the plan? to experience success with it and feel it working?
take a look at a recent example of "immediate staff compliance." in may 2023 nyc launched its “new york city reads” initiative to prioritize literacy, investing $35 million into “training and coaching to help teachers and leaders effectively implement the classroom materials and address their students' needs.” in phase one, 15 of the city's 32 community school districts adopted standardized reading curricula with the remaining districts slated to implement new materials in the following school year. for the most part, teachers were open to the changes. the initiatives were excellent and included new materials, teacher training, and staggered implementation, all rooted in the best intentions to improve literacy outcomes for students.
the timeline was ambitious, leaving teachers with a small window of time to participate in training and prepare their classrooms for the new approach. a few months into the 2023 - 2024 school year, many teachers felt they needed additional time and training to fully and effectively integrate the new approach. by late november of 2023, some teachers reported they were struggling to implement the new model and maintain student motivation that they felt they had with the old program. they had found that mentoring from trainers and one-on-one coaching helped a lot, but were desperate for more of that.
now in its second year, new york city's literacy overhaul is gaining momentum, with early signs showing positive shifts like increased student engagement. yet, despite these gains, many teachers still feel they need additional training to effectively implement the new materials. this underscores the value of a longer-term plan that builds a solid foundation giving teachers and schools time to refine practices and adapt systems thoughtfully.
consider a different rollout model
in late 2022, the commonwealth of virginia passed the virginia literacy act (vla) with mandates similar to those outlined in “new york city reads,” with one key difference – it wasn’t scheduled to take effect until the 2024-25 school year. this allowed time for the development of a strategy to create the various systems and processes needed for successful implementation of a plan that can scale to serve the entire state. they have used the time to gather input from all key parties–teachers, administration, students, and families. the va dept. of ed.’s slow rollout includes several elements that echo the strategy guidance offered in our art of implementation framework—vision alignment, implementation roadmap, communication plan, teaming, success metrics & monitoring. all key elements of the plan—communication, instructional materials, training, student and division progress assessments, and parent and community engagement—are taken into account.
aligning to the science of reading means learning new methods, taking some steps, making adjustments, and adapting to new instructional practices over time while taking into account what is working for students. while teachers may be on board with the changes in principle, it is only through successful practice with students, over time, that they will achieve the necessary mindset for robust implementation.
training and nurturing effective teachers
it is clear that the educators in our schools working with our students every day are predominantly responsible for successfully delivering on the promises and commitments made to the science of reading. training teachers is key, but so is observing them, evaluating them, listening to them, and encouraging them. they will be on a growth curve, just like their students.
an article published in january by the national center on teacher quality (nctq) outlines five policy actions that they believe are critical to teachers’ success in this endeavor. these actions are mirrored in most of the recommendations and mandates made by states in recent years; however, some key phrases that appear in the article-–‘implement and sustain,’ ‘trained and supported’-–are worthy of consideration. nctq writes, “states that have seen elementary students' literacy rates increase have done so with a long-term commitment to improving teacher effectiveness. they not only changed reading instruction by bolstering teachers' knowledge and skills through initial adoption of strong, aligned, coherent policies, but they coupled these policies with ongoing support and financial resources.” might “ongoing support” allow for space and time to cultivate “deep understanding and belief in the approach”?
measuring teacher effectiveness is necessary in order to determine paths for continuous improvement and related support. to offer the most insight, it needs to be done regularly and from various perspectives. frequent and varied teacher training is critical, and this training must include opportunities for reflection, feedback, and adjustment as teachers strive for continuous improvement and increased effectiveness. our surveys work really well to benchmark progress and gather feedback seamlessly from a variety of constituents.
finding time
new guidance, mandates, and budgets aim to support efforts to improve reading instruction and literacy outcomes using evidence-based practices. but the planning, training, rollout, and continued in-process evaluation of the effectiveness of these implementations all require support from trained partners, reflection and subsequent adjustments, incremental measures of outcomes, and shared experience to soak into the fabric of teachers’ and learners’ work together.
all this requires a lot of time. and time is the most elusive resource to access and allocate. the school districts that source ways to gain and save time will have a stronger shot at implementing the science of reading successfully.
