Too many of California’s children cannot read. Schools must do things differently to change that, and they should start with the “science of reading,” an evidence-based approach backed by the governor and state lawmakers.

Prior to the pandemic, student reading performance was trending upward, albeit slowly. Then COVID-19 brought school closures, and reading performance fell. The 2024 National Assessment of Educational Progress found that fewer than 30% of fourth graders and eighth graders qualify as proficient readers. That ranks California near the bottom nationally.

The problem is especially acute among Latino, Native American and Black students as well as students from low-income homes. Millions of students are falling behind and are more likely to drop out before completing high school.

The science of reading is a modern refinement of how schools used to teach reading. Californians who learned to read before the 1980s likely remember “phonics.” They sounded out words by connecting the individual sounds of letters and combinations of letters.

The phonics approach fell out of fashion in the 1980s when a “whole language” approach became popular among educators. It emphasized immersion in texts. Teachers encouraged students to memorize words and to deduce pronunciation and meaning from context. That might have worked for some students, but the moribund reading scores in the ensuing decades showed that too many students fell behind.

States that have returned to phonics have had astonishing results. Mississippi and Louisiana, neither of which used to be synonymous with academic success, climbed from the bottom of national reading rankings to become national leaders. Mississippi, for example, rose from 49th to ninth place between 2013 and 2024.

Gov. Gavin Newsom and state lawmakers are convinced. Assembly Bill 1454 would provide funding for optional teacher training and other resources to encourage schools to adopt the science of reading approach. The Assembly passed the bill unanimously, and the Senate Education Committee is now reviewing it. Democratic Sen. Christopher Cabaldon, whose district stretches from West Sacramento to Rohnert Park, sits on that committee.

Meanwhile, the state budget includes funding requested by the governor to pay for the transition. What AB 1454 does not do is mandate a switch, because teachers’ unions opposed requiring the science of reading. That’s an unfortunate concession by union allies in the Capitol. Some students will no doubt continue to fall behind because their schools resist change.

We hope students in the North Bay are not among them. Local districts should take advantage of new state resources, training and guidance to transition to an approach to reading instruction that is proven to work.

Schools cannot do it alone. Parents must encourage their children to put down their phones and pick up a book. Regularly spending time reading with young learners is one of the most important things a parent can do to set a child on the right path toward lifetime success. If schools assign summer reading, parents should make sure students do it. They might even read it themselves as a sort of household book club. And if schools don’t assign anything, parents can pick out a classic themselves.

Literacy is an essential skill for success in life. It’s time to try a different approach to teaching it in California.

Written by the Santa Rosa Press Democrat editorial board.