According to a 2023 report by the Ed Trust NY, less than 40% of all Monroe County students in grades 3-8 are proficient in reading, with significantly lower rates for students with disabilities, those from low-income backgrounds and students who are Black or Latinx.
A 2024 national assessment, also by the Ed Trust NY, indicates that 72% of New York City fourth-graders were reading below grade level.
Brooklyn state Assemblymember Bobby Carroll, chair of the Assembly Committee on Libraries and Education Technology, wants to change that calculus. He has sent a letter to the New York state Board of Regents asking it to mandate that public schools in the state utilize science-based reading curricula, rather than the approach that about 40% currently utilize.
Carroll, who has dyslexia, claims that New York is losing the race to literacy to states that spend far less money on education, like Mississippi, because it’s failed to implement these basic literacy reforms.
Capital Tonight reached out to New York state Education Department for a response. Spokesman J.P. O’Hare sent a statement that read, in part:
“While comparisons to other states may be politically convenient, they disregard the significant, evidence-driven efforts already underway to strengthen literacy instruction throughout New York.
The State Education Department has already taken decisive action to advance literacy based on evidence and best practices. This includes new teacher preparation focused on the science of reading, statewide literacy briefs that outline research-based strategies, and multiple in-person trainings and professional learning opportunities for educators.
It is important to note that in New York State, curriculum and instructional decisions are made locally.”
Assemblymember Carroll spoke with Capital Tonight about the issue.
