Watch the recording of our webinar What’s Next for the Science of Reading?
Improving reading instruction is one of the hottest topics in K-12 education today. It is also one of the most complex, encompassing pedagogy, policy, and politics — all rooted in a long history of arguments about the best way to teach kids to read.
On the Same Page: A Primer on the Science of Reading and Its Future for Policymakers, School Leaders, and Advocates is a primer on “the science of reading” for policymakers, advocates, and members of the media. This publication aims to provide a clear fact base for discussions about reading instruction and lessons from past large-scale reform efforts.
Key takeaways include:
- Reading is vital for academic and life outcomes — and early reading is especially important.
- The evidence base on what it takes to read is strong, but trends in teaching have diverged for decades.
- Advocates for the Science of Reading seek to close this gap in order to achieve better reading outcomes.
- States and localities are trying to improve outcomes through policies to support better reading instruction.
- But politicization and implementation could threaten otherwise promising progress.
Bellwether’s “stocktaking” series, part of Beta by Bellwether, helps the education sector separate signal from noise and move toward a shared fact base on timely issues. You can find our other stocktaking publications here.
