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Credit: Alison Yin/EdSource
Improving literacy instruction is once again trending in American policy circles. Between 2019 and 2022, state legislatures passed more than 200 bills pushing public schools to embrace the “science of reading.”
But after a year of closely watching large city school districts' efforts to overhaul literacy instruction as part of a project with the Center for Reinventing Public Education, I can't help but think that these well-intentioned legislative efforts are ignoring a larger problem. . In other words, the teacher works alone. Classrooms are poorly placed to provide themselves with the support that children need most to help them learn to read.
CRPE's report on this project suggests that solving the literacy crisis will require more than masking the harm of bad curricula. This means rethinking the traditional educational models that have long characterized American public education. That means having one adult responsible for 25 or more children who arrive at home with very different levels of preparation and uneven or no literacy support.
Thanks to the work of organizations like Oakland REACH and the Oakland NAACP, the Oakland Unified School District began quietly overhauling its approach to literacy instruction two years ago. That work included familiar investments in new curriculum and professional development.
But the real stars of this strategy were early literacy teachers and community members, including parents and grandparents, who were trained and paid to support small groups of students working to develop basic literacy skills.
Investment in early literacy teachers has enabled Auckland schools to provide much more targeted and differentiated instruction than would otherwise be possible. One school we visited used an “all hands on deck” approach, utilizing eight classroom teachers, two teachers, and two non-classroom educators to ensure that all students received targeted literacy instruction. Another school described using teachers to support literacy instruction in combined first and second grade classes where students' instructional needs vary across grade levels.
In interviews, both teachers and principals described the importance of having additional adults to support reading instruction. One teacher we interviewed said that having trained teachers in her classroom meant she could support five literacy groups instead of two and provide extra support to children who fell furthest behind. Without the teacher, she said, this teacher would have had to rely more on direct instruction of the whole group, forcing children who don't yet know letter sounds to learn alongside children who are already reading.
One parent contrasted her own experience with that of her child at an Auckland school supported by a tutor. “I remember when I was in school. If you're behind in class, you're really behind, and if you're ahead, you're probably bored, your mind is wandering, and you're not paying attention. I would like to spend special time with (early literacy teacher)…the adult who works with (student). And I think that’s really impactful.”
Importantly, by taking on some of the literacy instruction work, early literacy teachers have provided critical support to beleaguered educators whose jobs have become more difficult due to the pandemic. Rising behavioral problems, an attendance crisis and greater changes in students' learning needs are placing special demands on teachers at a time when public attitudes to their work and the reputation of education are also evolving and undermining teachers' commitment to their profession.
Because early literacy teachers were fully integrated into the district's larger strategy on literacy, they were able to provide meaningful help in carrying much of the burden of reading instruction. Unlike other tutoring programs that operate primarily around schools, Auckland's early literacy teachers worked collaboratively with school staff responsible for supporting literacy instruction.
Two years after launching a new strategy, Auckland can't yet claim to have solved its literacy problems, but there is a glimmer of hope. Our research found that students who received evidence-based differentiated literacy instruction, whether teacher-delivered or non-teacher-delivered, showed statistically significant learning gains in reading, and these gains were especially large in kindergarten. These results were achieved despite the school saying it needed additional teachers to fully optimize small group reading instruction. Imagine what would be possible if every child could receive a differentiated education tailored to their individual needs.
It has probably always been foolish to expect a teacher working alone in a classroom to provide all the individualized support students need most. It is irresponsible to continue to accept it while students struggle and deal with the lifelong consequences of illiteracy. As schools seek to make up ground lost due to the pandemic, those who support them must understand the limitations posed by investing too little in the effort.
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Ashley Jokim He is a principal at the Center on Reinventing Public Education, where his research focuses on identifying opportunities and barriers to solving systemic problems in K-12 schools. She co-authored a report on the organization's activities in the Oakland Unified School District.
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