EdTrust-New York is tackling an urgent problem head on with the New York Campaign for Early Literacy. Less than half of the state’s third graders are reading at grade level. In fact, when we look at how students of color and those from low-income backgrounds are faring, the need is even more urgent. Only 29% of Black and Latinx students, and just 12% of Native American students, are reading at grade-level, compared to 46% of white students and 56% of non-low-income students.

Bringing together individuals, libraries, and civil rights, education, parent, nonprofit, and early childhood organizations to harness the power of shifting narratives and mobilize advocates, EdTrust-New York is leading the fight to improve literacy outcomes and make sure all of New York’s kids learn to read. With a big win in 2024 — successfully advocating for $10 million in initial state investments for professional development for teachers — we’re off to a good start. In addition, the state Department of Education will now be required to provide guidance to districts on aligning their teaching with the science of reading, and districts will need to verify they are using appropriately-aligned curricula. While these efforts lay the initial groundwork, EdTrust-New York will continue to build the awareness, sense of urgency, and public will necessary for additional funding and legislation to make the literacy crisis a thing of the past.

With a team whose background includes many “on the ground” roles in education and a vast network of coalition partners in schools, on campuses, and in leadership positions, EdTrust-New York knows just how much goes into centering equity in policy making. Our combination of community-informed coalition work plus extensive expertise in education policy research drives our ability to make sure the policies we advocate for are intentional, actionable, and truly designed to boost student support and improve outcomes. Our team regularly shares data, insights, research, and recommendations with decision-makers, including spending over 1,500 hours directly connecting with these leaders making sure they are well-informed on the educational and racial equity implications of proposed policy ideas. Our policy positions are driven by data we collect in a variety of ways — from qualitative information gathered through student surveys, parent polls, and community focus groups to quantitative data analysis we conduct using disaggregated student outcome data, school funding data, and more. In the past three years, EdTrust-New York has served on five key workgroups and commissions in the state, including The Governor’s Child Care Availability Task Force.

Recently, we’ve scored some big wins — 16 statewide and local wins in the past three years alone, to be exact. At the state level, we’ve been instrumental in securing the passage and signage of four important pieces of New York State legislation. These bills will increase access to advanced courses for students, help families experiencing poverty, and provide mechanisms for school districts to cultivate more educators of color to reflect our communities. An additional four pieces of statewide guidance we advocated for will help ease the path to and through college. Elementary schools will now receive guidance on early literacy development, high schools will now be required to inform students of financial aid options and support available, and both state and higher education institutions will now be responsible for making sure more college students obtain degrees as part of statewide attainment goals. As important as statewide changes are, we also know how crucial local legislation is for making sure communities feel the positive impact equity-driven policy change can make. In the past few years, we’ve worked hard — and won — on making sure families in New York City can access high-quality early education and child care options and that schools are fairly funded.