Early Literacy

Learn more about the curriculum and methods used to teach young children the literacy skills they need to read and write, including phonics

Project

Staci Pollock teaches reading comprehension to her second grade class at Lacy Elementary in Raleigh, N.C., on May 25, 2022.
Why Putting the 'Science of Reading' Into Practice Is So Challenging
Philosophical disagreements, a rushed rollout, and a lack of ready-to-use materials have complicated one state's journey.
View Project
First grader Kamila Reyes works on an assignment in Diana Oviedo-Holguin’s English learner class at Heritage Elementary School in San Antonio, Texas, on Sept. 3, 2025.
First grader Kamila Reyes works on an assignment in Diana Oviedo-Holguin’s dual-language class at Heritage Elementary School in San Antonio, on Sept. 3, 2025. The district is making cross-language connections a central part of its shift to the science of reading.
Noah Devereaux for Education Week
Reading & Literacy How the 'Science of Reading' Can Support English Learners
English learners are sometimes an afterthought in 'science of reading' policies. Some educators want to change that.
Sarah Schwartz, September 22, 2025
•
9 min read
Reading & Literacy Quiz Quiz Yourself: How Much Do You Know About Supporting Literacy Initiatives?
Answer 7 questions about supporting literacy initiatives.
September 2, 2025
Reading & Literacy Quiz Quiz Yourself: How Much Do You Know About a Learner's Reading Journey?
Answer 7 questions about a learner's journey to reading proficiency.
August 26, 2025
Stack of library books with two blurred people in the background.
iStock/Getty
Reading & Literacy Professional Learning Guide Your Guide to Reading Instruction
This professional learning guide unpacks the science of reading, how to help struggling readers, and more.
August 14, 2025
Surreal view as a young woman student sits on the top of a huge pile of books holding a spyglass looking far at horizon. Adventure concept, as airplane and hot air balloon fly out of the magic book.
Bulat Silvia/iStock/Getty Images Plus
Reading & Literacy Professional Learning Guide Your Guide to the Science of Reading
Explore evidence-based methods to teach reading in this professional learning guide.
August 12, 2025
First grader Geniss Gibbs practices reading skills at Eastern Elementary School in Washington, N.C., on May 23, 2022.
First grader Geniss Gibbs practices reading skills at Eastern Elementary School in Washington, N.C., on May 23, 2022. Although districts are choosing new curricula purportedly aligned with evidence-based reading practices, they still frequently supplement with other teaching materials.
Kate Medley for Education Week
Reading & Literacy Districts Using 'High-Quality' Reading Curricula Still Supplement With Other Materials. Why?
A new report maps the shifting reading curriculum market.
Sarah Schwartz, August 4, 2025
•
5 min read
Rising To The Challenge metaphor success concept with a paper boat transforming into a bird symbol of adaptability and change to avoid a crisis
iStock
Reading & Literacy Opinion ‘She Gave Us a Way In’: A Teacher’s Defense of Lucy Calkins
Every decade, a new savior for literacy emerges: Phonics! Whole language! Balanced reading! Phonics, again!
Dana Palubiak, August 1, 2025
•
5 min read
Susie Richard, a teacher at Columbia Elementary School, working with students during class in Columbia, La., on April 11, 2025.
Susie Richard, a teacher at Columbia Elementary School, working with students during class in Columbia, La., on April 11, 2025.
L. Kasimu Harris for Education Week
School & District Management Project ‘Pairing Schools’: One Strategy, Two Very Different Outcomes
Can merging schools boost equity? A deep look at one Louisiana district’s bold—and risky—experiment.
July 25, 2025
Third-grader Fallon Rawlinson reads a book at Good Springs Elementary School in Good Springs, Nev., on March 30, 2022. For decades, there has been a clash between two schools of thought on how to best teach children to read, with passionate backers on each side of the so-called reading wars. But the approach gaining momentum lately in American classrooms is the so-called science of reading.
Third-grader Fallon Rawlinson reads a book at Good Springs Elementary School in Good Springs, Nev., on March 30, 2022. Many more states and districts are emphasizing evidence-based practices, including phonics, in reading programs. But the U.S. Department of Education's withholding of teacher-training funding could stymie some of those efforts.
Steve Marcus/Las Vegas Sun via AP
Reading & Literacy Trump School Funding Freeze Has Some Districts Scrambling to Save 'Science of Reading' PD
Teachers need ongoing assistance to make difficult shifts in teaching reading. Some districts had counted on the withheld Title II funding.
Sarah Schwartz, July 17, 2025
•
4 min read
Fri., July 25, 2025, 11:00 a.m. - 12:00 p.m. ET
This content is provided by our sponsor. It is not written by and does not necessarily reflect the views of Education Week's editorial staff.
Sponsor
Reading & Literacy Webinar The Future of the Science of Reading
Join us for a discussion on the future of the Science of Reading and how to support every student’s path to literacy.
Content provided by HMH
Register
Dylan Mayes, left, reads from a book about Willie Mays during a reading circle in class on Oct. 20, 2022, in Niagara Falls, N.Y.
Dylan Mayes, left, reads from a book about Willie Mays during a reading circle in class on Oct. 20, 2022, in Niagara Falls, N.Y. After the state launched a "science of reading" initiative in 2024, implementation has been piecemeal, a new survey finds.
Joshua Bessex/AP
Reading & Literacy ‘A Good Deal of Nostalgia’: New York’s Uneven Embrace of the Science of Reading
Educators say that they're mixing new approaches with the curricula and teaching strategies they've previously used, a new survey finds.
Sarah Schwartz, July 9, 2025
•
6 min read
Reading & Literacy Quiz Quiz Yourself: How Much Do You Know About Early Literacy Learning?
Answer 7 questions about building strong family and school connections.
June 20, 2025
102523 IMSE Reading BS
Reading & Literacy Popular Reading Programs Feature 'Multisensory' Instruction. Does It Help?
Many elementary school classrooms incorporate touch and movement into reading lessons. But research on the practice is inconclusive.
Sarah Schwartz, June 19, 2025
•
6 min read
Students interact in a fourth grade classroom at William Jefferson Clinton Elementary in Compton, Calif., on Feb. 6, 2025.
Students interact in a 4th grade classroom at William Jefferson Clinton Elementary in Compton, Calif., on Feb. 6, 2025. More young students could receive instruction in phonics and other evidence-based techniques, if a long-sought state proposal is approved.
Eric Thayer/AP
Reading & Literacy California Is Poised to Pass a 'Science of Reading' Law After a Long, Tense Debate
Advocates on both sides say the compromise bill is strong, but imperfect. Will it move literacy instruction forward in the state?
Sarah Schwartz, June 12, 2025
•
8 min read
Load More ▼