Category Archives: Reading and Literacy

Augusta Literacy Gains in the 2025-2026 school year gave families, educators, and community partners a useful set of local reading measures to study. During that school year, the Community Foundation for the CSRA invested more than $250,000 in its Literacy Initiative, which supported programs reaching more than 1,200 children in the Augusta and broader CSRA region. Those figures do not prove that one program alone caused every reading improvement, but … Read the rest

Cleveland literacy outcomes deserve careful attention because early reading data can show where children need support long before later school measures appear. On September 21, 2026, Axios Cleveland reported that only 36% of Cleveland’s third graders were proficient or better in English Language Arts on the 2025–26 Ohio state report card. The same report said CMSD held at 2.5 stars out of 5, below Ohio’s standard for expectations, while … Read the rest

Building Strong Readers became a clear federal signal on September 9, 2026: reading instruction, early intervention, and local literacy systems were treated as urgent education priorities, not side projects. The U.S. Department of Education announcement stated that nearly 70% of U.S. fourth- and eighth-graders could not read proficiently and that twelfth graders had the lowest reading scores ever recorded as of that date, according to the federal literacy announcement.… Read the rest

Reading Recovery remains one of the better-known early literacy interventions used with first-grade students who need intensive reading and writing support. For families and school communities, the most useful question is not whether one program can solve every reading concern. The better question is what the evidence shows, where the evidence is limited, and how schools can use short-term intervention data alongside broader K-4 literacy measures.

As a literacy coach, … Read the rest

Philadelphia adult literacy is not only an adult education issue. It reaches families, workplaces, schools, health decisions, public services, and the daily confidence people need to read forms, help children with homework, use technology, and plan next steps. Beyond Literacy, often called BeLit, has become one of the most visible local programs responding to that need, and recent attention from city and state leaders has made the scale of the … Read the rest

Evidence-Based Literacy has become a central focus in recent U.S. Department of Education actions, with new priorities, grant awards, and public reporting tied to reading instruction. As of September 22, 2026, these efforts had already been announced, so communities should read them as active policy signals rather than future proposals. For schools, families, libraries, and local partners, the practical question is clear: how can national direction support stronger reading instruction … Read the rest

Science of Reading Grants may become a defining phrase for how future federal literacy dollars are planned, reviewed, and monitored. On September 17, 2026, the U.S. House of Representatives passed bipartisan legislation that would require the U.S. Department of Education and state agencies to prioritize literacy grant applications aligned with the science of reading. The measure had not simply appeared late in the process: related Senate action on the READ … Read the rest

Digital literacy is now part of the daily work of adult education, not a separate add-on. For adult learners, reading a workplace email, completing an online form, joining a virtual class, saving a document, or checking a public benefit portal can depend on both literacy skills and comfort with technology. Programs such as Beyond Literacy in Philadelphia show why success measures need to include access, instruction, confidence, credentials, and practical … Read the rest

The adult literacy crisis in Philadelphia is not only an employment issue or a classroom issue. It is a family issue, a school-readiness issue, and a community issue. When adults have limited reading, English language, numeracy, or digital skills, everyday communication with schools, employers, health providers, and public agencies can become harder. For young children, that can also affect how often reading feels natural and supported at home.

Beyond Literacy, … Read the rest

The READ Act impact is best understood as a push toward clearer state literacy planning, not as a single law that instantly raises reading scores. For families of young children, the most useful question is practical: has the law helped states put stronger reading systems in place for screening, instruction, teacher learning, and support for students who show early signs of difficulty?

The federal READ Act was enacted on December … Read the rest