Thank you for spotlighting this issue. Camille Farrington's work about the importance of 9th grade for high school graduation shows that we have an emergency. The recent fall data from PPS about 8th grade reading and math proficiency tell us we are in crisis. Black, Native, and EL students are on average 1-2.5 years behind in reading(PPS data). This is where we need the Department of Education to stop making suggestions about what districts could do with their ESSER/COVID funds and direct them to spend it on high dosage tutoring and teacher training in the science of reading. Other states are doing this because that's what the research says works. North Carolina is taking this opportunity to change how higher ed trains teachers to teach reading because they know reading is the basis for all other learning. We have an opportunity, now we need leadership in the governor's office, the Department of Education, and the legislature.
Thank you for spotlighting this issue. Camille Farrington's work about the importance of 9th grade for high school graduation shows that we have an emergency. The recent fall data from PPS about 8th grade reading and math proficiency tell us we are in crisis. Black, Native, and EL students are on average 1-2.5 years behind in reading(PPS data). This is where we need the Department of Education to stop making suggestions about what districts could do with their ESSER/COVID funds and direct them to spend it on high dosage tutoring and teacher training in the science of reading. Other states are doing this because that's what the research says works. North Carolina is taking this opportunity to change how higher ed trains teachers to teach reading because they know reading is the basis for all other learning. We have an opportunity, now we need leadership in the governor's office, the Department of Education, and the legislature.