Urgent Reforms Are Already Under Way California is the largest and most diverse state in the country with 6 million children in TK–12, 1.7 million in Grades K–3, and 2.7 million ages five and under—with more than 50 home languages spoken. The state is a national leader in initiatives supporting whole-child learning and development. In fact, Governor Newsom, the California Legislature, and State Superintendent of Public Instruction Thurmond have launched an ambitious plan to ensure all students learn to read by third grade, including multilingual learners. The state has also directed funding, required local LEA planning, and provided professional development for teachers in Grades K–3 to settle a legal challenge and improve the literacy of students in California’s most challenged schools. Let’s Make Those Reforms Even Stronger Despite a large investment into these new programs, there is no specific effort being made to ensure that all California’s elementary school students have access to free print reading materials. The recently enacted State Imagination Library program provides home delivery of books for children aged five and under but does not reach students in kindergarten through their pivotal third-grade year. A home book delivery program builds on this investment by providing every K–3 student in California with free print books and magazines that are culturally responsive and aligned to their grade, age, and reading levels. Because more books in the home has been shown to lead to greater education attainment (Evans et al., 2010), this program is perfectly aligned with the governor and state superintendent’s read by third grade initiative.
Supporting K–3 Student Growth through Reading | 1
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