Literacy is a foundational pillar of Baltimore City Schools’ blueprint for student success, and a driver of our implementation of the Science of Reading. It is difficult work that asks much of our teachers and leaders. As Maryland READS points out, teaching reading is a complex process and improving reading instruction is just one step in the right direction. We need our entire community to unite in building a thriving reading ecosystem so that students receive the support, in and out of the classroom, that research shows can have a significant impact on their ability to read on grade level.

Foundational literacy is key to lifelong success. This report from Maryland READS comes at a critical juncture in public education. Through the collaboration of school, government and philanthropic partners, we are working to improve reading proficiency statewide. I know that all children can learn to read, regardless of socioeconomic status or cultural backgrounds. We appreciate Maryland READS as a partner in this work.

When I graduated high school in 1969, I could not read due to my dyslexia. But by the grace of God, strong support from family and friends, and a bull-headed determination, I learned to read and that changed the trajectory of my life. It’s time for us to end business as usual in Maryland education so that we can change the lives of generations of children. We need a thriving reading ecosystem at both the state and local levels to turn our reading scores around. But the Maryland public educational system can’t do it alone. Parents, guardians, friends, neighbors, taxpayers, and everybody must get involved. We must hold our children accountable for learning and ask them how did they behave, and what did they learn in school today? And I want to thank Maryland READS for giving me an opportunity to provide comments in support of their great work.

This is a fantastic document that tells the story without blame but a clear sense of the responsibility to act. It has data and points of view from many stakeholders and a clear plan for action. It’s a model for Maryland and for other states.

I have taught in Baltimore City Public Schools in the neediest areas and also in Montgomery County Public Schools in wealthy areas and in both cases, there was a great need for reading support for my students.

This will be Maryland’s decade. Not because we say so, but because we make it so — together.

As a classroom teacher, nothing is more important to me than providing the best possible instruction to ensure that children are reading proficiently. My favorite part of this document is where it acknowledges that success depends on the quality and strength of implementation. The 7 part action plan clearly outlines how we can ensure that the statewide adoption of the Science of Reading is successful and that every child in Maryland is able to read.

I am particularly interested in exploring the reality around language and culture in our state and how it relates to children learning to read. Let’s explore the number of languages spoken in our schools, the number of countries the children or their parents come from and engage in a meaningful dialogue about the rich diversity in Maryland.

In 2nd grade, I found out I have a learning difference and it wasn’t easy to hear. My parents sent me to a private school, away from my friends. I didn’t know anyone and the first school was majority white, so I felt very alone, all because I had trouble learning to read. It was very hard for me, but I feel like that experience helped me grow. I still have challenges with reading, but I know how to advocate for myself. And, I get frustrated that decisions around my education depend on whether the school understands how I learn. Why can’t all teachers in all schools teach all children how to read?

I think a huge problem that needs to be consideredsystemically, is the tools that we’re using don’t often meet the needs of language learners. It does become very much a compliance thing rather than really meeting a student’s need and informing instruction.

When I was in high school all my friends were talking about books they were reading and I thought something was wrong with me – I just could not relate. I felt stupid – and had a lot of anxiety and depression. When I was a junior in high school, I finally asked for help. After hours and hours of testing, I found out I had a reading disorder, a vision disorder, and anxiety and depression. I spent every afternoon of my senior year either working with an Academic Therapist to improve my reading, a vision specialist to address my vision disorder, ora counselor to help me with my anxiety and depression. And my parents had to pay for all this themselves. It made me wonder, “What happens when students don’t get the support they need like I did?”

Maryland READS has played an important role in highlighting the data on Maryland's declining literacy proficiency rates to state and local leaders. I'm glad they're further lifting this critical conversation through public forums so that all Marylanders can be inspired and engaged to take action. This report provides clear examples for ways we can all help to improve reading instruction in our classrooms and build thriving ecosystems that support our children both in and out of school. There's nothing more important than ensuring all children can read.