The literacy crisis is a long-standing problem that just escalated during the pandemic. Reading scores are lower than ever now but it has also drawn attention to a problem that was too long ignored.

States with comprehensive literacy plans generally have common components. But implementation is critical, not just what the Legislature adopts.
· They require the state to oversee or monitor literacy efforts. California does not
· They include providing common standards for teacher preparation programs (Califrnia adopted these in the fall and higher ed programs offering teaching credentials must begin using them in the fall of 2024 as defined by Senate Bill AB 488 (Sen. Rubio);
· They require/incentivize professional development of classroom teachers; California does not to any great extent. Districts can use their own funding;
· They hire or set requirements for literacy coaches. California does not yet do so, although it is funding literacy coaches for about 300-plus of the state’s lowest-income schools

>What do I do if my child's teacher is not providing much phonics instruction?

Many parents seek a tutor outside school or take it on themselves as a way to buttress what the child learns at school. Look on YouTube for the Purple Crayon challenge for a good example of this.

There’s a lot of compelling evidence that suggests screen time is correlated with lower academic outcomes. Also newer research suggests that the brain has trouble focusing as deeply while reading on a screen. This is also true for adults.

Outside the classroom, reading with your kiddo is the gold standard. Help them sound words out but also talk about the content, word definitions and what they like or dislike about the story. Children love storytelling.

Thank you!

Reading to children is key to creating a love of literature but experts say it doesn’t suffice for many children to learn to read. They need reading fundamentals, like phonics.

The following words and terms come up frequently during any discussion of this topic.
Phonics instruction teaches the relationships between the letters of written language and the sounds of spoken language, correlating sounds with letters to sound out the word on the page.
Phonemic awareness is the ability to detect, identify and manipulate phonemes, a distinct unit of sound, in spoken words. It is one component of phonological awareness, an umbrella term that includes the awareness of the larger parts of spoken language, such as words and syllables, as well as smaller parts such as phonemes.
Balanced literacy, a variation of the whole-language approach that emphasizes exploring literature organically but includes the explicit instruction of phonics in small doses.
Science of reading is a vast, interdisciplinary body of scientifically based research about reading that includes the five fundamental pillars: phonics (connecting letters to sounds,) phonemic awareness (identifying distinct units of sound,) fluency, vocabulary and comprehension.
Decoding means translating a printed word to speech and identifying unfamiliar words by sounding them out. This is a foundation of phonics instruction.
Three-cueing uses context such as pictures and syntax to guess the meaning of words that a student is stumbling on. It is urged primarily in balanced literacy and has become a focus of controversy.
Structured literacy emphasizes the highly explicit and systematic teaching of all important components of literacy including foundational skills (phonics, spelling) and higher-level literacy skills (reading comprehension). The origins of this phonics-based approach go back to the 1920s, when Samuel T. Orton and Anna Gillingham created a program that was systematic, explicit and highly structured, known as the Orton-Gillingham method, to reach struggling readers.