Across the United States, literacy proficiency has reached alarming lows, with recent data indicating that 40% of students struggle to read at fundamental levels. This downward trend, ongoing for over ten years, has accelerated significantly following the pandemic.
Reading and writing form the cornerstone of education, yet many young learners are failing to acquire these essential abilities. In Monroe County, proficiency rates among third to eighth graders remain below 40%, highlighting widespread educational challenges.
Carol St. George, director of the literacy teacher education program at the University of Rochester's Warner School of Education and Human Development, views these statistics as symptoms of deeper systemic problems. "If they came to a word they didn't know as we were reading together, they'd look at me — that was their strategy," St. George said, describing her experience with first-grade students. "They were afraid to take a chance, to take an educated risk. You can't blame them. People are afraid. I'm afraid to be embarrassed if I don't know something, right?"
During one classroom reading session, St. George encountered a student named Leah who demonstrated this hesitation when encountering the word "saw." The child associated the term only with a cutting tool, revealing vocabulary limitations. "I realized that it wasn't in her vocabulary, it was 'I seen it,'" St. George recalled. "It was like an epiphany for me. I find now, literacy starts pre-birth."
St. George emphasizes that language development begins before birth, citing research showing fetuses can recognize environmental sounds during the final trimester. "Babies cry in the melody of their native language," she noted, adding that early exposure to reading is crucial. "...that proves that language is developing in utero. It's not too early to start reading to your baby. And I'm saying, day one, start reading with your kid."
The Belief Gap in Education
State assessment data reveals that 46% of public and charter school students demonstrate English Language Arts proficiency. While some Monroe County districts exceed these averages, others fall significantly below them.
Education Trust New York, a policy organization focused on educational justice, reports that most children possess the cognitive capacity for literacy regardless of background. However, local outcomes remain below the 95% threshold identified in their Monroe County literacy report.
Some educators identify a "belief gap" that normalizes low expectations for certain student populations. "Every single person should see the importance, the value and the idea that your ZIP code should not determine the quality of your education or the access to materials," St. George asserted, advocating for stronger family-teacher connections.
Ongoing Debates About Reading Instruction
The "reading wars" have persisted since the 1950s, when Rudolf Flesch's book "Why Johnny Can't Read" criticized American reading instruction methods. Flesch argued that phonics instruction was more effective than whole-language approaches that emphasized word memorization.
Contemporary discussions contrast Balanced Literacy with the Science of Reading. Tina Carney, co-leader of Dyslexia Allies of Western New York, experienced these methodological shifts firsthand. "When my oldest was in elementary school, it was balanced literacy. And at the time, I didn't know what that was," Carney explained. "It was the three-cueing approach that we know is not evidence based. Unfortunately, years later when my child was struggling, teachers didn't know what they didn't know."
Demario Strickland, former interim superintendent in Rochester, emphasizes the importance of research-based practices. "If we continue to provide the professional development, give updates to our teachers that are in house and give the new learning to the teachers that are coming from our higher education institutions, I think we'll be in a good spot," Strickland said.
Carney observes positive changes in her district's approach. "I see the difference between my oldest and my youngest who are currently in elementary. It is a 180-(degree) change that has happened over the last four years and for that, I'm really grateful," she noted.
Moving Beyond Blame
St. George has witnessed shifting responsibility for literacy challenges throughout her career. "I've been doing this a long time," she reflected. "I remember when it was a parent's fault. 'Why can't kids read?' 'The parents don't read to their kids.' Then it shifted, 'it's the teacher's fault' and now it's 'teacher preparation schools don't teach teachers how to teach reading.' So, I think that there's misunderstanding, a lack of trust and I think there's a lack of time."
She advocates for collaborative solutions rather than assigning blame. "This blame game has to stop," St. George insisted. "This isn't a matter of the parents not doing their job. Can they do it better? You bet. And it's not a matter of the teachers not doing their job. Can they do it better? Yes, you bet. Can we all do better? Yeah, and I think that it's a matter of listening."
Her dissertation work involved workshops bringing parents and teachers together. "That's why a lot of my work is in communities showing people how to build relationships, working and being visible. My relationship with families is crucial for children's success," St. George explained.
Curriculum Changes and Implementation
New York State has initiated curriculum updates, gradually replacing Common Core Standards with Next Generation English Language Arts Learning Standards. Strickland has observed gaps in literacy instruction and supports research-based approaches like the Amplify curriculum for early grades.
"It's extremely beneficial because it is research-based, really helping students to understand phonemes, how letters sound, how sounds make words, how to decode, you know, bringing the sounds together to make words," Strickland said of the curriculum.
For older students, he emphasizes vocabulary development and text comprehension initiatives, along with professional development programs like LETRS for educators. "I'm pretty pleased with where we're going with that," Strickland commented. "All of our teachers are trained on the modules. It's ongoing."
Transparency and Community Engagement
Parents like Carney call for greater transparency in reading instruction. "There needs to be more transparency about how you're teaching our kids to read, how you're assessing our kids and where they are in comparison to their peers and the state as well," Carney stated. "This provides opportunities for parents to come to visit the school and learn a little bit about what you're teaching the students so we can reinforce it at home."
She encourages parental engagement: "Ask your district questions. 'What's in your district?' 'How are you teaching our kids to read?' 'Is it aligned with the science?' 'Is it aligned with what we know is the best?' Stay curious."
Strickland acknowledges the importance of parental involvement. "Even though we're the experts, that doesn't mean we're the experts of those children," he observed. "We have to understand that the parent is the first teacher. The parent is the expert of the child...Once they [parents] are at the table, they will fight tooth and nail for you and for what you're trying to do."
Toward Community Solutions
St. George envisions a community-focused approach to literacy that extends beyond classroom walls. "Without vocabulary building, without building a passion and a love and without allowing for motivation, then it's going to be banging your head against the wall," she cautioned. "You might give them the tools to decode, but decoding is not the same as reading."
She advocates for public awareness campaigns: "I want to saturate the area. I want billboards like, 'have you read with your child today?' Those are the kinds of messages that we as a community need to foster and support."
As educators, parents, and community members continue addressing literacy challenges, collaborative efforts involving curriculum adaptation, instructional improvements, and family engagement offer potential pathways forward. While solutions remain evolving, these conversations represent crucial steps toward creating a more literate society.
