Literacy

Standardized tests continue to show that a majority of California students perform below grade level in measures of reading and literacy. The stakes are very high: research shows that students who aren’t reading at grade level by the third grade will struggle to catch up throughout their education career. California has recently launched an urgent effort to improve reading literacy for all children, especially in the early grades. Read more about this work in our special report, California’s Reading Dilemma.

Bilingual Education

May 24, 2023

Roundtable: Best practices for teaching English learners how to read

A panel of experts told EdSource on Tuesday that for English Language learners, it’s important to balance phonics and other reading skills all students need with opportunities to grow students’ understanding of the language they are learning.

Ali Tadayon

Commentary

May 18, 2023

Research must guide how we teach English learners to read

The research shows that both native English speakers and bilingual students who are learning English must learn how to connect the oral sounds in words to the letters that represent those sounds, then connect that connection to the words' meanings. But, English learners need additional support.

Claude Goldenberg

Literacy

May 12, 2023

Mandatory dyslexia screening clears major hurdle in Newsom budget

English learner advocates and the teachers union had opposed universal dyslexia screening.

Carolyn Jones

Commentary

April 28, 2023

Gov. Newsom's love letter to librarians

California's governor pays tribute to librarians and the impact they have on students and communities.

Gov. Gavin Newsom

Commentary

April 16, 2023

Don't wait for the state; districts can make reading a priority

Los Angeles, San Francisco and Palo Alto Unified school districts are showing how to improve early literacy, and the state should follow their example.

Todd Collins

California's Reading Dilemma

April 13, 2023

How one school gets English learners to read by third grade

Led by a principal who was an English learner, Frank Sparkes Elementary in Winton emphasizes reading and writing with an approach tailored to English learners.

Zaidee Stavely

California's Reading Dilemma

April 13, 2023

Q&A: What research says on teaching English learners to read

Tim Shanahan chaired the National Literacy Panel for Language Minority Children and Youth and co-edited the resulting 2006 report.

Zaidee Stavely

Literacy

April 6, 2023

The magic of story time: Why is reading aloud to kids so important?

Amid the escalating national literacy crisis, with its grim statistics and deeply entrenched ideological battles, this one is an easy fix, experts say. Read aloud to your children and students.

Karen D'Souza

Commentary

March 29, 2023

When K-12 leaders or teachers make mistakes, who takes note?

When educators misinterpret assessment data, it can affect the support students receive or the classes in which they are placed, resulting in significant, even lifelong consequences for the student.

Steve Rees

Literacy

March 29, 2023

Documentary film asks: Do all children have 'The Right to Read?'

Literacy is the watershed social justice issue of our time, many advocates argue.

Karen D'Souza

Literacy

March 28, 2023

California districts vary enormously in reading achievement, report finds

A new study of low-income Latino students suggests that how they score in reading and writing stems more from how they are taught and less from their family income or English proficiency.