A recent statewide coalition aims to respond to alarming data showing that only 1 in 3 students in Pennsylvania – and even fewer in Philadelphia – can read proficiently by fourth grade.
Eighty people from 20 organizations under the patronage Pennsylvania Literacy Coalition met via Zoom on Wednesday to push for state policies that will improve student reading scores. They include $100 million to ensure all districts have access to training in “evidence-based strategies,” including reading instruction, which represents a consensus on the best methods of teaching literacy, such as focusing on phonics and vocabulary building.
The coalition is also calling for dedicated resources to support early monitoring of students with learning difficulties.
The trend in reading scores also applies to supporters. Laura Boyce of Teach Plus, a group in the recent coalition, cited data from the 2022 National Assessment of Educational Progress that shows post-pandemic reading skills decline among Pennsylvania studentsAND collapse that took place across the country. New NAEP results are expected later this month.
“Given what we know about how early literacy skills impact future life outcomes, we are focusing on this by talking about the importance of improving literacy outcomes and how this connects to overall economic well-being.” said Boyce, executive director of the Pennsylvania Chapter of Teach Plus.
The target grade is fourth grade because research shows this is the key moment when students should move from “learning to read” to “reading to learn,” she said.
The Pennsylvania Literacy Coalition plans to screen the film “The Right to Read” in Harrisburg on Jan. 28, followed by a discussion on the topic with lawmakers. He also plans to convene a day-long summit on March 26 to highlight the issue.
In Philadelphia supporters school authoritiescaregivers and neighbors work together to improve reading scores. The school district started a recent English teaching program focused on learning to read. Attorneys organize compact neighborhood events in which they participate “The Alphabet Song” for younger children, which is related to the Freedom Schools model. AND Philly Reading Captains they make every effort to deliver books and materials to families on their block door to door.
It’s the time of year when the budget scramble begins in the state capital. Gov. Josh Shapiro is scheduled to deliver his annual budget speech on February 4.
“We’re waiting for the governor’s budget speech, and we’re all waiting to see what he prioritizes,” said state Sen. Vincent Hughes, a Democrat and longtime supporter of additional education spending. “Hopefully that will be part of it. We’ll talk to his parents first. This is fundamental to student success.”
Both Hughes and Boyce said it is crucial to raise awareness about how Pennsylvania students lag behind other states in proficiency rates.
Rep. Peter Schweyer, a Democrat, chairman of the House Education Committee, said his priority is to make a sustained effort to ensure fair and equitable funding for schools in all districts, rather than telling them what programs to adopt.
Two years ago, Commonwealth Court Justice Renée Cohn Jubelirer ruled that Pennsylvania’s school funding formula was unconstitutionalciting the wide disparities in spending between wealthier and low-income neighborhoods. As a result, the state increased overall education spending by $1.1 billion and adopted a recent financing formula.
“It is impossible to predict at this point what will be included in the budget,” Shweyer said, noting that the project will not be finalized until June. “What I can say about literacy is that it is a priority for everyone.”
Congressman Bryan Cutler, the top Republican on the committee, said in a statement that: “It is clear to me that Pennsylvania is lagging behind when it comes to teaching our children to read…. I will support ideas that provide funding for literacy efforts, but let’s also make the necessary changes in how we support our students as they learn to read.”
This was brought to the attention of Ralph Smith, managing director of the Read by Fourth advocacy group recent research from North Carolina shows that there is a vast gap in reading readiness between students from more affluent and low-income backgrounds that persists throughout kindergarten.
“However you calculate it, low-income children start kindergarten behind better-resourced children, and over the course of the kindergarten year they fall further behind both developmentally and academically,” he said.
He said it was crucial to allocate some resources to informing and training parents, as well as investing more in schools and early childhood centers to close the pre-kindergarten readiness gap.
Dale Mezzacappa is a senior writer at Chalkbeat Philadelphia, covering elementary and early childhood education in Philadelphia. Contact Dale at [email protected].
Chalkbeat is a nonprofit news site dedicated to changes in education in public schools.
