Reading is Fundamental
Reading is the gateway to knowledge and future opportunity for students. Unfortunately, California is facing a literacy crisis in part due to ineffective early literacy instruction. Our children need a strong reading foundation that fosters academic and social-emotional development while preventing disparities in achievement and opportunity for the state's most vulnerable students. Too many kids in California are still not being taught with evidence-based instructional materials and not all educators have been afforded the proper training necessary to effectively teach reading.
To combat this, Assemblywoman Blanca Rubio (D-Baldwin Park) is partnering closely with the California Early Literacy Coalition to ensure a comprehensive, evidence-based approach to teaching California's elementary school students how to read..
Reading Leads to Future Opportunity
Nearly 178,000 3rd-grade students (70%) from low-income communities are not meeting state standards for English Language Arts, and the vast majority of those falling behind are disproportionately low-income Black and Latino children, English learners, and students with disabilities. This is not a matter of ability, but a matter of how we are currently teaching our children to read.
By 3rd grade, students move from learning to read to reading to learn, and those who are not on grade level at this point rarely catch up in their academic journey. This is a major contributing factor to the 28% adult illiteracy rate in our state, one of the highest in the nation. Research shows that adults with limited literacy are more likely to be unemployed or earn an income that falls below the poverty level. According to the World Literacy Foundation, illiteracy can also lead to poor health conditions, disenfranchisement, and even crime. Among youth involved in the juvenile justice system, up to 85% are functionally illiterate.
Get Involved
If you believe that California has a moral obligation to provide all of our children with the opportunity to reach their full potential, please consider the following actions to support teaching kids to read effectively.