Past reforms led to early reading gains but without any long-lasting advantage to students.

Why do California’s fourth graders have trouble reading? Nearly 60 percent of them do not read at grade level. Literacy rates in California have been declining for decades, but a new bill would ...

4:16 p.m. June 2, 2025: An earlier version of this report incorrectly said teaching phonics was new to Long Beach Unified. Some phonics has been taught in the district for years, but a new focus on ...