Thread by @WNYEdAlliance

The WNY Education Alliance has published the WNY Reading Report Card, where we track reading proficiency scores for economically disadvantaged students in every school district in WNY.
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@NiagaraErie @ECASBnews @NYSUTWNY @NYSchoolSupts @nyschoolboards

wnyeducationalliance.org/content/docume…

This is a useful way to measure the effectiveness of reading instruction in schools since economically disadvantaged students typically have less access to supports outside of school.
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@nysut @NYSPTA @NYSEDNews @SAANYS @Big5Schools @GreatCitySchls @robertnlowry @csdedrick

Data shows that there is a strong correlation between income levels & academic achievement; this analysis attempts to normalize for differences in income levels when evaluating districts.
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@WCSD_K12 @OPSchools

Studies show that >95% of children are capable of learning to read w/ proper instruction; unfortunately <30% of economically disadvantaged students in WNY are reading proficiently.
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@TheBuffaloNews @Tsuj10 @ipostnews @Garrett_Looker @wgrzMichael @WBFO @SusanWBEN @eileenwkbw

No school district in WNY reported an average reading proficiency score of more than 50% for economically disadvantaged students in grades 3-5, including those that continue to defend 'balanced' literacy.
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@WCSD_K12 @OPSchools

The data confirms that we have a reading crisis in our region, impacting children in urban, suburban, & rural districts alike.

The equity gap in education cannot be addressed without improving reading instruction.
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@GovKathyHochul @NYSEDNews @seda_data @Spencer_Fdn @EdTrustNY

Part of the problem is the way in which reading is taught in schools. The current approach doesn't work well for economically disadvantaged students, ELLs, minorities, & children w/ dyslexia.
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@ShelleyBMayer @Bobby4Brooklyn @JoAnneSimonBK52 @LiuNewYork

wapo.st/3ZYNuDX

The ELA curricula used in many schools is not:

- backed by research

- recommended by 3rd-party curriculum evaluators & literacy experts

- approved by those states that recommend or approve ELA curricula.
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@SenSeanRyan @mikebenedetto82 @AlexisWeik

achievethecore.org/page/3240/comp…

Sprinkling a little phonics on top of flawed curricula is unlikely to help much. Reading needs to be taught systematically, emphasizing the 5 pillars: phonemic awareness, phonics, fluency, vocabulary, & comprehension.
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@NiagaraErie

nichd.nih.gov/sites/default/…

This report is a call to action, not a call to criticize. Most educators were not taught about reading science in their teacher prep programs & @NYSEDNews is doing little to support school districts, unlike other states.
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@SUNY @SUNYChancellor @buffalostate @DonnaHejtmanek

The goal of the report is to begin an overdue discussion about what stakeholders can do to improve reading instruction in schools & literacy rates in WNY.
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@AsharaBaker @brothersam @tenati0us_tina @NYSPTA @nysut @NYSUTWNY @ECASBnews @nyschoolboards @NYSchoolSupts @NiagaraErie

Fortunately, there is a lot of research and plenty of examples that show what works.

We just need leadership.
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#LeadershipMatters #NYProud