The City of New York launched the NYC Reads project aimed at developing reading skills
This week, Mayor Adams and New York City Department of Education Commissioner David S. Banks announced the launch of NYC Reads, a landmark citywide campaign that will make literacy and reading instruction a focus and priority for New York City public schools. At the heart of this campaign is a new plan to significantly improve literacy instruction (starting with early childhood education programs) and improve teacher training. The science of reading shows that to develop vocabulary, reading fluency, and reading comprehension, you must first focus on basic skills such as speaking words out loud and decoding. Teachers say they need clear information about effective practices, training and professional support that is closely linked to the classroom.
“New York City has the largest public school system in the country, and we are proud of our dedicated teachers who go above and beyond to educate our talented, diverse students. We want to set our students up for success, and teaching them to read with confidence is critical. That's why we're making a historic shift in our curriculum and launching NYC Reads, a program based on scientifically proven reading methods. We will teach our students skills they can rely on to decode words when the level gets difficult, and we will train our teachers so they can deliver the instruction effectively.” Mayor Eric Adams said.
He also added that about 40% of prison inmates cannot read, and 80% do not have a high school diploma or its equivalent. “Not being able to read is not the fault of our students and it is not the fault of our teachers. This does not mean that the teacher is doing a bad job or that the child is lazy or lacks ability. We have been using the wrong methods to educate our children and now we are changing course to give our young people a chance for a better future. NYC Reads is my personal business. Even now, when I walk into a classroom as mayor, I am reminded of my life as a child walking into class, hoping and praying that the teacher would not call me to read. I had dyslexia, but it was not diagnosed, and every day I was laughed at and humiliated. I was told that I was stupid. Now, in addition to all our students being tested for dyslexia, we will teach them reading and math using a proven, scientific and methodical approach so that they do not suffer like I did.” Mayor Eric Adams said.
Over the next two years, NYC Reads will be rolled out to all Early Childhood Education programs and elementary schools; they will receive standardized sets of teaching materials based on research in the science of reading. School districts will have to choose from proposed curriculums for elementary schools. About half of the school districts will begin the program in September, with the rest starting in fall 2024. This means that within two years, all New York City elementary schools and early education programs will be using a high-quality, evidence-based curriculum focused on reading development. Learn more about NYC Reads at: https://www.schools.nyc.gov/learning/subjects/literacy.
Author: Irina Proskurina
