Johnson: Boost literacy levels for Minnesota students

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Reading is fundamental. Learning to read well by the third grade can make or break a student’s future success. Indeed, reading is the key to unlocking the door to almost all learning.

So it’s hugely concerning that only about 40% of Minneapolis Public School (MPS) students were deemed proficient in reading this year and that significant disparities still persist between white students and students of color, according to the most recent statewide test scores.

That’s why the recent Minneapolis Foundation $1 million literacy grant to MPS is so welcome and needed. Improving student literacy must continue to be an urgent, top priority not only for MPS but for school districts across the entire state. The Minnesota Department of Education (MDE) reported that statewide only about half of all learners tested were proficient in reading.

Minneapolis school leaders wisely intend to use the new funding to support 10 reading specialists in 16 elementary schools this school year. Those additional educators can help accelerate implementation of Minnesota’s new required phonics-based approach to reading.

This year, while about half of all Minnesota public school students demonstrated proficiency in reading, about 45% met or exceeded grade-level standards in math — outcomes nearly identical to those registered in 2023. MDE notes, however, that about 7% of state students did not participate in the math tests, and 5% did not take the reading tests, including by opting out. Those students are thus counted as not being proficient.

A combination of factors has caused student literacy levels to drop, both here and nationally. Test scores dropped most everywhere during the COVID pandemic, when many students were restricted to remote learning. And a reading instruction method widely used during the past two decades simply did not work for many students. A 2022 American Public Media series documented how a popular reading curriculum — that did not teach basic phonics — also contributed to many students struggles with reading.

To reverse the impact of poor reading instruction, many educators and advocates now support returning to “science of reading” strategies in elementary classrooms. That’s the literacy movement that spurred the Minnesota Legislature to approve the 2023 Read Act, which requires certain types of proven reading instruction and channels millions of dollars into advanced teacher training methods.

The generous Minneapolis Foundation gift will help bolster this effort. Fortunately, it is not the only nonprofit or government entity intentionally funding literacy efforts. A representative from the Minnesota Council on Foundations said its members have in recent years contributed about $115 million to elementary education overall, which includes specific literacy efforts. He pointed out that many state foundations give grants to school in the range of $20,000 to $100,000, making the Minneapolis Foundation grant considerably larger than usual.

Also of special note is Serve Minnesota, which has a large AmeriCorps program that spends millions on tutoring students. And there are several other prominent organizations, including Literacy Minnesota, that offer help and resources to improve reading and writing.

Literacy matters and merits maximum investment. Art Rolnick, a former executive and researcher at the Minneapolis Federal Reserve Bank who has done extensive studies on early education, found that the economy reaps an adjusted 18% return on investment in improved literacy.

As a group of educators noted in a Star Tribune commentary last December, reversing the dismal reading proficiency trend demands support outside the classroom. Families and communities must also be involved to help provide infants, kindergartners and young elementary school students the literacy tools they need in order to build successful lives. We all can play a role. Efforts as simple as a “rally to read,” a mobilization of parents, educators, child care workers, literacy experts, pediatricians, community groups, business, senior citizens, and others in working with children, can pay rich dividends. In many ways, we’re only as strong as our weakest readers.