Policymakers and education leaders must adopt policies and practices that ensure all students learn to read and have access to high-quality, diverse, and culturally responsive literacy instruction
March 27, 2024 by EdTrust 
Nearly all children can learn to read, yet far too many are denied this fundamental right. Reading proficiently by the end of third grade is one of the strongest predictors of future success. Children who cannot read skillfully by that point are four times more likely to drop out of school—a risk that doubles for Black and Latino students and those from low-income families. Today, our nation faces a literacy crisis.
Blog: The Literacy Crisis in the U.S. is Deeply Concerning—and Totally Preventable
Most classrooms do not reflect the science of how children learn to read. Research-based instruction is often costly and difficult to access. Families with resources can turn to private tutoring, but those without means are left behind.
Many teachers, often unknowingly, still use ineffective methods. The problem is compounded by the fact that novice teachers—who are more likely to serve Black, Latino, and low-income students—frequently receive limited training in evidence-based reading instruction.
Report: An Equitable Approach to Improving Literacy
Blog: Teachers Need to Learn How to Teach Reading Effectively
Report: Getting Black Students Better Access to Non-Novice Teachers
Report: Getting Latino Students Better Access to Non-Novice Teachers
Engaging, diverse texts help children connect with reading and improve learning outcomes. Yet despite more than half of U.S. students being children of color, many classrooms lack culturally and racially diverse curricula that allow every child to see themselves represented.
Report: The Search for More Complex Racial and Ethnic Representation in Grade School Books
Blog: Rigor and Representation in Children’s Books Foster a Love of Reading
To ensure literacy for all, policymakers and education leaders must adopt practices grounded in science and equity. Every child—especially Black and Latino students, students from low-income backgrounds, and students with disabilities—deserves both strong reading instruction and access to diverse, culturally responsive materials.
EdTrust is working to place early literacy at the center of education equity. Our Early Literacy Advisory Council, composed of leading experts, is guiding efforts to address the crisis and push for systemic solutions.
The Literacy Crisis in the U.S. is Deeply Concerning—and Totally PreventableLiteracy is one of the major civil rights issues of our time. Our children’s future—and our nation’s democracy—depends on us addressing this crisis now.
Hiding In Plain Sight: How Complex Decoding Challenges Can Block Comprehension for Older ReadersComplex decoding challenges are hiding in plain sight and can prevent older readers from comprehending grade-level texts.
Early LiteracyOur nation’s literacy crisis is one of the major civil rights issues of our time. To protect our students’ and nation’s future we must address this crisis. Read how
EdTrust’s state and regional teams have created a range of literacy resources that highlight challenges and solutions from across the country—see their work below.
Campaign Website
EdTrust-New York Early Literacy Campaign
Report
A Call to Action: The State of Early Literacy in New York
Fact Sheet
Holding Students Back – An Inequitable and Ineffective Response to Unfinished Learning (EdTrust-MidWest)
Blog
Literacy for All: Let’s Address One of the Most Common Barriers to Reading (EdTrust-MidWest)
Report
An Examination of The 2021 Learning Loss Remediation and Student Acceleration Act (Tennessee Alliance)
Memo
The Cost of Retention Memo (EdTrust-Tennessee)
Guide
2023 Tennessee Retention Legislation Tracker (EdTrust-Tennessee)
Video
Leveraging High-Quality Instructional Materials to Accelerate Student Learning (Tennessee State Collaborative on Reforming Education (SCORE))
Dr. Tequilla Brownie is CEO of TNTP, a national nonprofit working to disrupt inequities in public education. She joined TNTP in 2013 after nearly a decade at Memphis City Schools, where she led major teacher effectiveness initiatives with the Bill & Melinda Gates Foundation. A Yale graduate, she also holds a master’s from the University of Tennessee-Knoxville and a doctorate in education from the University of Memphis.
Dr. Maria Murray is the founder, CEO, and president of The Reading League and a leading voice in the science of reading movement for over 20 years. She previously served as an associate professor at SUNY Oswego and earned her Ph.D. in Reading Education from Syracuse University, where she also coordinated federally funded early reading intervention projects.
Dr. Laurie Olsen is founder and strategic advisor of Sobrato Early Academic Language (SEAL), a nationally recognized P–6 model for English learner-focused language and literacy education now in over 100 California schools. For five decades, she has led research, advocacy, and leadership development on equity in immigrant, English learner, and bilingual education. She also serves as president of Californians Together and on the Steering Committee of the National Committee on Effective Literacy.
Dr. Tanji Reed Marshall is CEO and principal consultant of Liaison Educational Partners, where she helps states, districts, and schools equip leaders to ensure underserved students receive the education they deserve. With over 20 years of experience, she is a nationally recognized expert in education equity and leadership, previously serving as director of P–12 practice at EdTrust. She holds a doctorate in curriculum and instruction from Virginia Tech.
Dr. Julie Washington is a professor of education at the University of California, Irvine, and a speech-language pathologist recognized as a fellow of the American Speech-Language-Hearing Association. She directs UCI’s California Learning Disabilities Research Innovation Hub and the Language Variation, Poverty, and Academic Success Lab, focusing her research on literacy, language variation, and poverty among Black P–5 students.
Kareem Weaver is co-founder and executive director of FULCRUM, working to improve literacy by partnering with schools, universities, governments, and communities to ensure strong reading outcomes for all students. Featured in the documentary The Right to Read, he also serves as second vice president and Education Committee chair of the Oakland NAACP. An award-winning teacher and administrator, Weaver previously led New Leaders’ Western Region and holds degrees from Morehouse College and the University of South Carolina.
