For decades, uneven access to evidence-based reading instruction has left too many New York students behind. In recent years, however, New York has taken action. The 2024 Back to Basics law required districts, by the start of this school year, to provide evidence-based literacy instruction aligned with the science of reading. Now that most New York districts have adopted or are moving toward adopting of evidence-based curricula and instructional resources, it is critical to maintain momentum for the next phase: training and supporting educators to implement the science of reading effectively in classrooms.
To better align policy and practice among educators, policymakers, researchers, and advocates, EdTrust-New York and the SUNY New Paltz Science of Reading Center partnered to co-host the inaugural Leading Literacy Summit last fall, drawing hundreds of attendees from across the state. The summit aimed to help participants learn evidence-based strategies rooted in the science of reading, gain practical tools for implementing structured literacy practices, and connect with leaders shaping the future of literacy in New York.
Rose Else-Mitchell, Executive Director of the SUNY New Paltz Science of Reading Center, opened the event by describing the summit as a bridge between research and practice. “This event is amazing because it really has the voices from the field as well as the voices from research, the translation and combination of those ideas, and being able to understand how you actually get this work done,” she said.
Attendees participated in sessions throughout the day, heard from experts, and discussed strategies to put literacy research into practice.
Statewide Collaboration Among Educators, Advocates, and Institutions Drives Literacy Improvement
Dr. Kymyona Burk, Visiting Senior Fellow at the Science of Reading Center, outlined the steps New York must take to achieve its vision. “New York can invest in teacher knowledge, invest in the support of teachers to be able to respond to the needs of their diverse learners,” she said. “Support teacher practices, which includes screening students at least three times per year to ensure that students are identified early so that they can receive the interventions and support in order to become skilled readers.”
Assemblymember Jo Anne Simon echoed Burk’s point, emphasizing effective professional learning. “Principals learn better from principals. Superintendents learn better from superintendents because they have that trust. Peer learning is foundational in helping the science of reading stick,” she said. Simon highlighted a key theme: sustainable change cannot come from top-down mandates. The science of reading must thrive within professional networks where educators learn from one another and share ownership of the work.
Centering Equity Means Prioritizing Multilingual Students
One session examined multilingual learners’ access to equitable, evidence-based literacy instruction, noting that current curricula, instructional design, and implementation often overlook this student population.
Speakers stressed the importance of building on students’ home-language literacy to support reading in English and training educators to distinguish between language development and reading difficulties. They highlighted instructional approaches that intentionally connect bilingual supports with evidence-based reading practices.
Arlen Benjamin-Gomez, Executive Director of EdTrust-New York, reminded participants that the science of reading must reflect the full diversity of New York’s classrooms. “Curriculum and instruction are rolled out without thinking about multilingual learners’ needs,” she said. “This is a great opportunity to recognize that they are bilingual. We speak multiple languages and often have literacy in our home language, and that’s an asset that can be brought to the table.” Her remarks reframed linguistic diversity as a strength, showing how properly integrating it can accelerate outcomes.
Community Engagement Strengthens Literacy Outcomes
The summit emphasized that schools cannot shoulder literacy work alone. Speakers highlighted how sustained reading progress depends on family and community engagement, including parent workshops led by community-based organizations, local tutoring programs, and strategies to prioritize reading at home.
Sam Radford, a Buffalo parent advocate, emphasized shared responsibility: “the family is going to create the conditions that allow [students’] literacy to be sustained and to grow.” He emphasized that this responsibility extends beyond the household to “the neighbors, the store, the church, the community center,” reminding attendees that “we all have a role to play if we want to have a literate community.” His remarks reinforced a central theme: literacy flourishes when a connected web of relationships extends beyond school walls.
Building a Connected Literacy Ecosystem
Speakers explored how linking teachers, families, advocates, and institutions can build and sustain a literacy ecosystem. Danielle Guindo, Executive Director of READ Alliance, described an ecosystem as both a strategy and an organizing principle. “A literacy ecosystem is a collaboration; it’s a powerful network of like-minded people who believe in the power of literacy to change lives.” She said sustainability comes from “investing in what works, in models that already exist, so that they can overlay collectively and cooperatively to further the mission of literacy.”
READ Alliance’s own work demonstrates how a literacy ecosystem can deliver measurable results. The New York City-based organization pairs early literacy intervention with youth development, training teenagers to tutor K–2 students after school. Younger children build foundational reading skills while teen tutors strengthen literacy, leadership, and job readiness. A 2023 evaluation of their work showed participating teens advanced an average of one full year in foundational reading skills, proving that community-based, intergenerational models can boost early and adolescent literacy simultaneously. As EdTrust-New York’s adolescent literacy report notes, READ Alliance illustrates how investing in proven, community-rooted programs strengthens the literacy ecosystem and offer scalable lessons for districts and policymakers statewide.
Collective Action Powers Lasting Change
As the summit concluded, John B. King Jr., Chancellor of the State University of New York, reflected on both the urgency and opportunity. He called on attendees to build on the momentum, “now we must build on this commitment, ensuring every district and school uses evidence-based literacy instruction.”
The Leading Literacy Summit showed that lasting progress requires collaboration across the education ecosystem: universities that prepare teachers, districts that support them, communities that nurture reading at home, and state leaders who champion policy change. Participants reaffirmed that literacy is a civil right, and that New York must urgently align schools, policies, and practices with the science of reading to secure that right for every child.
Scaling Evidence-Based Literacy: The Role of the New York Campaign for Early Literacy
As the state addresses longstanding literacy challenges, advocates, educators, and policymakers can apply lessons from the summit. The New York Campaign for Early Literacy, marking its three-year anniversary, partners with SUNY New Paltz to improve student reading. The Campaign includes over 100 individuals and organizations, including civil rights groups, parent organizations, non-profits, and higher education institutions. This year, it prioritizes securing greater investments in professional development, instruction, and resources.
Jeff Smink, deputy director of EdTrust-New York, summarized the mission: “Learning how to read is a civil right and foundational.” The science of reading provides evidence; the people gathered at the Leading Literacy Summit offered the will. Together, they laid the foundation for a literacy ecosystem that ensures every child in New York, regardless of zip code or background, has the opportunity to become a confident, lifelong reader.