North Carolina is one of several states that have passed legislation in recent years to align classroom reading instruction with the research on how children learn to read. But ensuring all students have access to research-backed instruction is a marathon, not a sprint, said education leaders and researchers from across the country on

Though implementation of the state鈥檚 reading legislation has been ongoing since 2021, more resources and comprehensive support are needed to ensure teaching practice and reading proficiency are improved, webinar panelists said.

鈥淭he goal should be to transition from the science of reading into the science of teaching reading,鈥� said Paola Pilonieta, professor at the University of North Carolina at Charlotte who was part of a team that studied North Carolina鈥檚 implementation of its

That legislation mandates instruction to be aligned with 鈥渢he science of reading,鈥� the research that says learning to read involves 鈥渢he acquisition of language (phonology, syntax, semantics, morphology, and pragmatics), and skills of phonemic awareness, accurate and efficient work identification (fluency), spelling, vocabulary, and comprehension.鈥�

The legislature allocated more than $114 million to train pre-K to fifth grade teachers and other educators in the science of reading through a professional development tool called the Language Essentials for Teachers of Reading and Spelling (). More than 44,000 teachers had as of June 2024.

Third graders saw a two-point drop, , in reading proficiency from the 2023-24 to 2024-25 school year on literacy assessments. It was the first decline in this measure since LETRS training began. First graders鈥� results on formative assessments held steady at 70% proficiency and second graders saw a small increase, from 65% to 66%.

鈥淟ETRS was the first step in transforming teacher practice and improving student outcomes,鈥� Pilonieta said. 鈥淭o continue to make growth in reading, teachers need targeted ongoing support in the form of coaching, for example, to ensure effective implementation of evidence-based literacy instruction.鈥�

Teachers鈥� feelings on the training

Pilonieta was part of a team at UNC-Charlotte and the Education Policy Initiative at Carolina (EPIC) at UNC-Chapel Hill that studied and districts鈥� of that training. The team also studied teachers鈥� knowledge of research-backed literacy practices and in small-group settings after the training.

They asked about these experiences through a survey completed by 4,035 teachers across the state from spring 2023 to winter 2024, and 51 hour-long focus groups with 113 participants.

Requiring training on top of an already stressful job can be a heavy lift, Pilonieta said. LETRS training looked different across districts, the research team found. Some teachers received stipends to complete the training or were compensated with time off, and some were not. Some had opportunities to collaborate with fellow educators during the training; some did not.

鈥淭hese differences in support influenced whether teachers felt supported during the training, overwhelmed, or ignored,鈥� Pilonieta said.

Teachers did perceive the content of the LETRS training to be helpful in some ways and had concerns in others, according to survey respondents.

Teachers holding various roles found the content valuable in learning about how the brain works, phonics, and comprehension.

They cited issues, however, with the training鈥檚 applicability to varied roles, limited differentiation based on teachers鈥� background knowledge and experience, redundancy, and a general limited amount of time to engage with the training鈥檚 content.

Varied support from administrators, coaches

When asking teachers about how implementation worked at their schools, the researchers found that support from administrators and instructional coaches varied widely.

Teachers reported that classroom visits from administrators with a focus on science of reading occurred infrequently. The main support administrators provided, according to the research, was planning time.

鈥淢any teachers felt that higher levels of support from coaches would be valuable to help them implement these reading practices,鈥� Pilonieta said.

Teachers did report shifts in their teaching practice after the training and felt those tweaks had positive outcomes on students.

The team found other conditions impacted teachers鈥� implementation: schools鈥� use of curriculum that aligned to the concepts covered in the training, access to materials and resources, and having sufficient planning time.

Some improvement in knowledge and practice

Teachers performed well on assessments after completing the training, but had lower scores on a survey given later by the research team. Pilonieta said this suggests an issue with knowledge retention.

Teachers scored between 95% to 98% across in the LETRS post-training assessment. But in the research team鈥檚 survey, scores ranged from 48% to 78%.

Teachers with a reading license scored higher on all knowledge areas addressed in LETRS than teachers who did not.

When the team analyzed teachers鈥� recorded small-group reading lessons, 73% were considered high-quality. They found consistent use of explicit instruction, which is a key component of the science of reading, as well as evidence-backed strategies related to phonemic awareness and phonics. They found limited implementation of practices on vocabulary and comprehension.

Among the low-quality lessons, more than half were for students reading below grade level. Some 鈥減roblematic practices鈥� persisted in 17% of analyzed lessons.

What鈥檚 next?

The research team formed several recommendations on how to improve reading instruction and reading proficiency.

They said ongoing professional development through education preparation programs and teacher leaders can help teachers translate knowledge to instructional change. Funding is also needed for instructional coaches to help teachers make that jump.

Guides differentiated by grade levels would help different teachers with different needs when it comes to implementing evidence-backed strategies. And the state should incentivize teachers to pursue specialized credentials in reading instruction, the researchers said.

Moving forward, the legislation might need more clarity on mechanisms for sustaining the implementation of the science of reading. The research team suggests a structured evaluation framework that tracks implementation, student impact, and resource distribution to inform the state鈥檚 future literacy initiatives.

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The Hunt Institute announced former United States Secretary of Education Arne Duncan as its new board chair earlier this month, with Duncan succeeding the organization’s founder and namesake Gov. James B. Hunt, Jr., who served in the role for 20 years.

Former Republican New Mexico was also elected as vice chair. She succeeds Thomas Lambeth, the Board’s inaugural vice chair.

鈥淚 cannot think of two better people to serve the Board and The Hunt Institute than Secretary Duncan and Governor Martinez,鈥� President and CEO Dr. Javaid Siddiqi said in . 鈥淓ven during this exciting period of growth and expansion at The Institute, top of mind for me always is how to keep us grounded in the legacy of Governor Hunt. These two bring with them many years of personal experiences with Governor Hunt and share his commitment to equitable access to quality education for all students. I look forward to seeing how they use their new roles to push his mission forward.鈥�

The Hunt Institute, an affiliate of the Duke University Sanford School of Public Policy, was established in 2001 as the the James B. Hunt, Jr. Institute for Educational Leadership and Policy.

The organization works to bring together bipartisan elected officials and policymakers on key issues in public education “to help build and nurture visionary leadership and mobilize strategic action for greater educational outcomes and student success,” per its website. Recently, the institute has hosted its to talk about education policy, along with several partner webinars and conferences to highlight meeting student needs, like the inaugural Avanza cohort focused

The institute honors James Hunt, a former Democratic governor of North Carolina known for his strong support of public education. In 2021, the organization celebrated .

Both Duncan and Martinez were elected unanimously by the institute’s Board of Directors at its biannual meeting on June 1. They will each serve for the next two years.

In their roles, the new chair and vice chair will oversee all institutional activities, the release said, including strategic planning and budget oversight.

鈥淚 am excited to step into this new role as vice chair and serve the institute in an even more meaningful way,鈥� Martinez said. 鈥淎s a member of the Hunt-Kean Leadership Fellows advisory board as well, I鈥檝e seen firsthand the impact this organization continues to have on policy and policymakers across the country. As vice chair, I look forward to working with Secretary Duncan to ensure that impact continues to grow.鈥�

Martinez “has spent decades breaking glass ceilings,” per the release, serving as New Mexico鈥檚 first female governor and the nation鈥檚 first female minority governor from 2011 to 2018.

During his career spanning nearly 30 years, Duncan was the longest-serving secretary of education in American history, the release said. He served during the Obama Administration from 2009 to 2015.

鈥淚 have admired Gov. Hunt and his Institute for many years 鈥� he truly is one of my heroes in this space,鈥� Duncan said. 鈥淚 am deeply honored to have been elected to this position and to have the opportunity to lead the board. The institute has done a phenomenal job pushing the governor鈥檚 vision forward and making real change in schools, districts, and states across the country, and as chair, I will do everything in my power to support the critical work being done and spread that vision even further.鈥�

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