![\"Rachael](\"https:\/\/www.newsbeep.com\/us-pa\/wp-content\/uploads\/2026\/05\/STT-L-LITERACY-0502-03.jpg\")
Rachael Garnick, Pennsylvania Coalition Manager at Teach Plus PA, center, leads a roundtable discussion on literacy in the library of John F. Kennedy Elementary School in South Scranton Friday, May 1, 2026. (SEAN MCKEAG \/ STAFF PHOTOGRAPHER)<\/p>\n
\u201cProof point\u201d districts are districts \u201cwhere students are performing significantly better than expected given their level of economic disadvantage, while also demonstrating strong academic growth over time,\u201d the report notes. \u201cProof Points offer concrete evidence that strong literacy outcomes are possible \u2014 even in high-need contexts \u2014 when evidence-based practices are implemented effectively.\u201d<\/p>\n
Much of Friday\u2019s event focused on the district\u2019s concerted embrace of strategies aimed at improving literacy outcomes. Superintendent Erin Keating, Ed.D., thanked the Scranton Federation of Teachers union for \u201cpartnering with us on an unbelievable endeavor to make sure every teacher in the Scranton School District \u2026 was trained in the science of literacy.\u201d<\/p>\n
\u201cWhen I got here two years ago \u2026 literacy became something that, to me, was the crux of where we were going to make school improvement,\u201d Keating said. \u201cIf you cannot read you cannot learn.\u201d<\/p>\n
Scranton\u2019s recent success stems from a districtwide shift to \u201csupporting the science of reading in our classrooms,\u201d Supervisor of Elementary Education Ann Grebeck said.<\/p>\n
![\"Reading](\"https:\/\/www.newsbeep.com\/us-pa\/wp-content\/uploads\/2026\/05\/STT-L-LITERACY-0502-02.jpg\")
Reading specialist for Scranton School District Kimberly Tesluk speaks during a roundtable discussion on literacy in the library of John F. Kennedy Elementary School in South Scranton Friday, May 1, 2026. (SEAN MCKEAG \/ STAFF PHOTOGRAPHER)<\/p>\n
\u201cSo in the past literacy instruction was traditional, it was a whole-language approach, and now we have since transitioned to evidence-based structured literacy, where classrooms today emphasize active-reading strategies and differentiated instruction based on the science of reading through explicit, daily, specific instruction with targeted interventions,\u201d she said.<\/p>\n
In short, the district embraced a more effective way of teaching students how to read.<\/p>\n
\u201cAcross our 10 elementary schools our instruction used to vary widely, so we really made this commitment to try to align our instruction around structured literacy and investing in our teachers: improving the teacher knowledge base to make sure that the teachers had the information that they needed to be able to invest in the students and ensure that the students were receiving instruction that aligned to their needs,\u201d district Reading Specialist Kimberly Tesluk said. \u201cI\u2019m really incredibly proud of the work that we\u2019ve done this year. Like Dr. Keating said, it was a huge undertaking, but because we collaborated we were able to train over 500 educators.\u201d<\/p>\n
But Grebeck acknowledged the district\u2019s \u201chardest work still lies ahead.\u201d<\/p>\n
\u201cScranton needs to continue investing in meaningful professional development, which all of you are aware costs a lot of money,\u201d she said. \u201cWe need to expand these high-quality resources that we\u2019re using to ensure that there\u2019s consistent implementation that\u2019s happening in all of our schools.\u201d<\/p>\n
The potential reduction of federal Title I funding supporting professional development training for teachers would create a challenge for the district.<\/p>\n
![\"State](\"https:\/\/www.newsbeep.com\/us-pa\/wp-content\/uploads\/2026\/05\/STT-L-LITERACY-0502-04.jpg\")
State Rep. Kyle Donahue, far left, speaks during a roundtable discussion on childrens\u2019 literacy in the library of John F. Kennedy Elementary School in South Scranton Friday, May 1, 2026. (SEAN MCKEAG \/ STAFF PHOTOGRAPHER)<\/p>\n
\u201cWe need to look at creative ways to help continue this process, not only with educating our veteran teachers, but we have a lot of new teachers that necessarily don\u2019t have the background knowledge on the science of reading,\u201d Grebeck said. \u201cSo this was an investment the district made with the coordination of obviously the (Scranton Federation of Teachers) and our superintendent, with securing Title I funds to pay for training after school hours. If title funds disappear or are eliminated we face a huge challenge with building the knowledge level much deeper, not only for the community as a whole with our teachers but with the young workforce that are entering the profession.\u201d<\/p>\n
Friday\u2019s event also highlighted the need for more education investments at the state level, as well as the practical impact and economic consequences of low literacy.<\/p>\n
Information provided by the Pennsylvania Literacy Coalition shows 66% of third graders in Lackawanna County are not reading proficiently. That number is higher, 76%, among economically disadvantaged third graders. And 56% of adults in the county can\u2019t read proficiently, either.<\/p>\n
Low literacy costs the state an estimated $113 billion annually in lost productivity, reduced earnings and increased public spending, per the coalition.<\/p>\n
Amy Luyster, vice president of business and workforce development for the Greater Scranton Chamber of Commerce, spoke Friday to the economic and workforce implications, noting \u201cwithout strong literacy we cannot build a talent pipeline\u201d for current and future workforce needs.<\/p>\n
On the heels of that and other warnings, Suzanne Shaffer, Title I Reading Specialist at the district\u2019s McNichols Plaza Elementary School, called the current moment one of the most important of her long career.<\/p>\n
\u201cBecause after decades in the classroom I can say this with certainty: structured literacy works,\u201d she said. \u201cI\u2019ve seen programs come and go, initiatives lost with best intentions, and I\u2019ve seen us invest time, energy and resources into approaches that simply didn\u2019t deliver the results that our students deserved. But structured literacy is different.\u201d<\/p>\n