Messaging campaign highlights Minnesota schools’ poor literacy outcomes for white students, too
Not only does Minnesota have academic achievement and opportunity gaps that are among the worst in the nation, far too few students from all backgrounds are on track for success in college and career.
Our failure to teach students how to read is not an issue that’s consigned just to inner-city schools or those serving predominantly students of color. In fact, that’s an excuse that too many Minnesotans (including our state education leaders) conveniently point to, which distracts from our broader, systemic failure to educate all Minnesota students. The truth is, lack of high-quality literacy instruction plagues schools in every corner of our state.
According to the results of Minnesota’s most recent annual state assessment, barely half (51.52%) of all students are reading proficiently. This includes only 30.7% of Black students, 31.4% of Hispanic or Latino students, and 27.7% of American Indian students. And, as our new billboards point out, 40% of white students can’t read at grade level, either. Simply put, Minnesota schools are not successfully teaching our students how to read.
The “real-number” impact is shocking: over 48,000 white students in Minnesota only “Partially Met” grade level standards in Reading on the 2021 MCA exam, and more than 49,000 white students “Did not Meet” those standards. In all, that means that nearly 100,000 white students in Minnesota are not reading proficiently—meaning they are often frustrated and struggling in school, less likely to graduate on time, and less likely to attend college (or succeed if they do).
Creating a Minnesota where all children can thrive requires a sober examination of how we're failing to meet the needs of our students.
Our new billboards may make some Minnesotans uncomfortable; they might make others angry. And that’s exactly the point: we know that we won’t actually improve literacy instruction unless we name it as a problem and start implementing proven solutions. The good news is that research and experience have validated successful educational interventions that are proven to work in helping all kids learn how to read.
That’s why we recently produced a booklet, titled We Know What Works, which digs into these proven solutions. As we emerge from a pandemic that has disrupted learning and hampered academic achievement for students across the state, our policymakers need to couple financial investments in education with bold, research-backed policy changes.
How to Improve Literacy for All Students
Explicit, consistent instruction in phonics and decoding is fundamental to developing skilled readers. A dedicated phonics program leads to stronger comprehension—as readers become fluent at decoding text, they free up mental space to understand increasingly complex words and themes and access a curriculum rich with literature, history, science and the arts.
More than 20 states—but NOT Minnesota—ban “whole language” or “balanced literacy” instruction. Too many districts, schools, and classrooms across Minnesota use “whole language” or “balanced literacy” English Language Arts (ELA) curriculums, which ignore decades of research and do not include nearly enough explicit phonics instruction to ensure all students become strong readers.
“The research and science are clear: we know how to teach kids to read. However, too many districts, schools, and classrooms across Minnesota do not follow the proven science. ”
Proponents of “whole-language” instruction argue that learning to read is a natural process and that children will instinctively learn to read if they’re surrounded by books—similar to how humans learn to speak. But the scientific consensus is that whole-language instruction, as well as “balanced literacy” that is deeply rooted in whole language, are not as effective as a phonics-based approach.
Minnesota’s education leaders should enact policies that require districts to use a high-quality, phonics-based curriculum. A report in 2000 from the National Reading Panel concluded that the best approach to teaching children how to read consists of explicit instruction in phonemic awareness and systematic phonics along with vocabulary, reading fluency, and comprehension. The report also indicated that systematic phonics instruction enhances the ability to learn to read and is “significantly more effective” than instruction that teaches little or no phonics. The curriculum choices by Minnesota’s school districts should be required to reflect these findings.
Additionally, policymakers should continue to invest resources to train teachers in the science of reading. In 2021, the state of Minnesota approved a $3 million grant to the Minnesota Department of Education to fund teacher training in the LETRS program (Language Essentials for Teachers of Reading and Spelling). This investment is a good start, but state leaders must invest significantly more in LETRS training in order to reach many more teachers and ensure they have the skills needed so that all Minnesota students receive high-quality literacy instruction.
The research and science are clear: we know how to teach kids to read. However, too many districts, schools, and classrooms across Minnesota do not follow the proven science. We know that students who are given early, explicit and systematic phonics instruction have a distinct learning advantage in learning to read. By requiring districts to use high-quality, phonics-based curriculum and investing in training teachers in the science of reading, we can help more Minnesota students read on grade level and give our kids the foundation they need for success in college, career, and life.