In 2021 the Tennessee Department of Education announced a major undertaking to reform early childhood literacy.
The department’s Reading 360 initiative aimed to invest $100 million to help Tennessee students learn to read through the science of reading.
Former Education Commissioner Penny Schwinn discussed the initiative during a recent forum on the Science of Reading hosted by think tank FutureEd. Schwinn says the Reading 360 initiative followed a flatlining of literacy proficiency rates for children following reforms by the state’s prior two governors.
“There was a moral imperative as much as a philosophical imperative to be able to do something,” said Schwinn. “We found that that was the single most important thing that we needed to do to create more equitable access and opportunity for all of our students. We felt that it was absolutely possible. It shouldn’t be considered a reach goal. We should operate with the clarity that every child can and must be able to read on grade level in the earliest grades.”
The science of reading is an interdisciplinary body of scientifically-based research on how students learn to read that emphasizes the importance of alphabetics (phonemic awareness and phonics), fluency, vocabulary, and comprehension.
Schwinn says the state implemented a comprehensive training program that has since trained more than 45 thousand teachers in how to use the science of reading. The initiative also included working with education preparatory programs at higher education institutions around the state to ensure future teachers are trained in the science of reading.
Schwinn says that part of the process had its challenges with some programs that were hesitant to change.
“Kids deserve to have the best quality instruction in front of them. That can only happen if we all do our part to hold ourselves accountable to be aligned to what works for kids. Make sure our future teachers are being instructed appropriately and at the level and with the content that we know is aligned to the science,” said Schwinn.
A nationwide study released earlier this year illustrates just how big of a challenge Tennessee is facing ensuring all future teachers are utilizing research-based reading instruction techniques.
The National Council on Teacher Quality (NCTQ) analyzed nearly 700 teacher preparation programs across the country in the fall of 2022 to evaluate how they were implementing the science of reading. That study found only 28 percent of teaching programs nationwide adequately addressed all five core components of reading instruction and three out of ten don’t provide any practice opportunities connected to the core components of reading.
Tennessee is just under the national average with 23 percent of programs teaching all five core components.
“To be effective, elementary teachers need to understand and know how to teach all five components of scientifically based reading instruction. Because of the interconnectivity of these components, a teacher who lacks an understanding of one will be less effective teaching the others, and students who miss instruction on one component may struggle to become fully literate,” wrote the NCTQ.
The study also found 40 percent of programs across the country are still teaching multiple practices contrary to the research that can impede student learning.
In Tennessee teacher prep programs average roughly one contrary practice.
“When programs teach practices not supported by research alongside practices that are aligned, it legitimizes these ineffective methods, risks confusing aspiring teachers, and may lead new teachers to implement debunked practices that hinder many students from becoming proficient readers. No medical school would ever teach aspiring doctors using practices known to be ineffective, yet these practices remain all too common when preparing elementary teachers to teach reading,” wrote the NCTQ.
The study singled out Middle Tennessee State University and Tennessee Wesleyan University as exemplary programs and provided a reading foundation grade for a total of 26 programs in the state.
