How the science of reading increased literacy and graduation rates in my poor NYC district – The 74

Educator Insight: Through evidence-based strategies, networks, and volunteers, even low-income districts can help students become proficient readers.

By Tanya Wilson-Thevanesan

This story first appeared on The 74, a nonprofit news site covering education issues. Sign up for The 74’s free newsletters to get more articles like this delivered to your inbox.

On my first day as director of a pre-K-8 program in the Rochester City School District in New York, I was greeted not only with the excitement of a new beginning, but also with a daunting challenge: My district was in the midst of a full-blown literacy crisis. Reading test scores were dismal, and schools were reporting a staggering 0% proficiency rate. Faced with a mountain of external pressures, I was tasked with uncovering what was wrong with my school and fixing it quickly.

While test results from the reading programs the district had put in place showed that students were on track, state test results showed that they were not at grade level. I realized early on that there was a lack of alignment and that the tests allowed for a lot of personal bias, as teachers allowed their preconceived notions of how students should perform to influence how they scored on the tests. Together with the school’s two (yes, just two) literacy experts, we developed a completely new, evidence-based program tailored to individual learning styles that would help all students become proficient readers.

The program we developed was based on phonemic awareness, phonics, sound blending, comprehension, evidence-based teaching methods, and perhaps most importantly, objective assessments to really understand where our young readers were struggling.

By the end of the school year, we had noticed school-wide improvements not only in English proficiency, but also in mathematics.

A few years later, when I was in my second job as a high school principal in the district, the majority of students were either not reading well or reading poorly. Perhaps as a direct result, the high school graduation rate was an astounding 33%. By employing the same evidence-based reading strategies, we were able to give students the skills they need to not only meet literacy benchmarks, but also increase the graduation rate to 86%.

What we didn’t know at the time was that in developing this research-based program, we had stumbled upon the very foundations of the science of reading.

The two schools I was a part of are not the only ones struggling with student literacy. In 2022, 37% of fourth graders scored below basic on the NAEP in reading, and only one-third were proficient. Yet, studies show that more than 90% of children could learn to read if their school’s courses included all the building blocks of scientifically based reading instruction: phonemic awareness, phonics, fluency, vocabulary, comprehension, oral language, and cognitive processes.

While some students will learn to read naturally, incorporating the components of explicit, scientifically based reading instruction will help struggling children become successful readers, and proficient readers become even better readers.

Understanding the science of reading helps educators develop effective, research-based teaching strategies. To be successful, teachers must have the right skills and resources. This includes ongoing professional development in teaching foundational skills like phonemic awareness and phonics, learning to administer guidance and feedback during oral reading practice, and providing effective and appropriate vocabulary instruction to students.

Furthermore, it is essential to use tests that do not allow for subjectivity in scoring to identify children’s reading difficulties and implement specific interventions to support readers of all levels.

My districts were located in underfunded urban areas, where literacy challenges are the most severe in our country. Poor and marginalized communities are severely impacted by educational inequities, but even well-funded districts can lack adequate resources for reading education. By utilizing classroom volunteers, retired educators, and high school seniors seeking volunteer hours, leaders can think outside the box when it comes to finding additional resources for their students.

You can start by looking at your internal environment. Think about existing staff who can be trained in the science of reading, such as teaching assistants and teaching assistants. This frees up specialists to focus on diagnosis and allows them to spend more time with students who are having the most difficulty.

Additionally, connect with a network of educational leaders, reading specialists, and local community members to share best practices, strategies, and resources. Our district trained and partnered with a local agency that, fortunately, employed many of our students’ parents. Not only were they trained to help in the classroom, but this preparation went beyond that, allowing them to help their children and peers practice reading at home.

Embracing the science of reading is not just a pedagogical choice, but a moral imperative. By grounding literacy instruction in evidence-based strategies, school districts can ensure that all students, regardless of background or ability, have the opportunity to become competent and confident readers. This commitment to literacy is essential to fostering a generation of critical thinkers, empowered learners, and informed citizens. Literacy is children’s gateway to the world, and it is our job as educational leaders to ensure that they, their families, and their teachers are prepared for what lies ahead.