By Kathy Hubbard, Co-Founder, The Policy Circle
This op-ed originally appeared in the Indianapolis Business Journal
Indiana is experiencing a literacy meltdown.
According to 2022 data from the Nation’s Report Card, just one-third of Hoosier fourth- and eighth-graders are proficient or better in reading.
That means tens of thousands of our students aren’t where they need to be—and the status quo won’t get them there. Instead of a lifetime of success, these struggling readers will be more likely to drop out of high school, earn lower wages and wind up in the criminal justice system.
We cannot afford to let another generation fall behind.
That’s why, earlier this year, Gov. Eric Holcomb and Indiana lawmakers, with historic support from the state’s philanthropic community, enacted early-literacy legislation to ensure our youngest students have access to the support and resources they need to learn to read at grade level and beyond.
Thankfully, we don’t have to guess how to get to that goal. Proven methods exist to help children become proficient readers, and states have been rapidly adopting comprehensive early-literacy policies over the past decade.
The much-publicized “science of reading” approach provides a road map for effective instruction in critical areas like phonics and fluency. States are leaning into this tested method because many of us were taught to read incorrectly using practices like three-cueing, where students guess words instead of sounding them out. As it turns out, Hooked on Phonics really does work for kids.
Teachers are the critical bridge between enacting comprehensive early-literacy legislation and seeing improved outcomes for our students. Sadly, many Hoosier educators also learned failed reading strategies—either as students or in their schools of education.
