Over the course of just a few years, many of the core reading strategies used in classrooms across the country have been transformed. These changes have lasting implications for students, families, and schools — as well as for education companies.
EdWeek Market Brief’s new special report, “What’s Next for the K-12 Reading Market?” looks at how the push to implement a “science of reading” in states and school systems will influence the products and services school districts purchase and how they will implement strategy over the next few years.
At last count, 38 states and the District of Columbia have approved laws or policies over roughly the past decade backing some form of evidence-based reading instruction.
Those policies to varying degrees require specific approaches to instruction, teacher preparation, professional development, assessment, and the selection of materials — mandates that have big implications for vendors.
This special report provides in-depth journalism and research that explores the practical impact of the changing policies and how the market for reading materials is evolving. It includes the results of a nationally representative online survey of district and school leaders in states and school systems that have adopted science of reading measures, as well as the results of other surveys offering insights on district reading policy.
One of throughlines in the report is the extent to which “science of reading” approaches to instruction will migrate from the elementary level — where they’ve been most prevalent — to middle and high schools.
Fifty-six percent of the district and school leaders surveyed say their K-2 materials are currently aligned with those standards, compared to just 22 percent and 18 percent at the middle and high school level, respectively.
But those policies are poised to shift over the next two years, with more grades 6-12 adoption, albeit not to the same degree in earlier grades.
Additionally in the report, EdWeek Market Brief Staff Writer Emma Kate Fittes takes a look at how states and school systems are beginning to apply many of the same science of reading principles beyond elementary school in an effort to help students struggling at the middle and high school level.
Readers of the report will come away with the following survey-based insights:
- The most important factors K-12 leaders consider when they’re choosing academic resources aligned with the science of reading — factors that could include cost, testimonials from other school systems, academic research, and assurances of strong product implementation.
- The core features that district and school leaders want to see in products to convince them those products are based on evidence-based approaches to reading, from phonemic awareness to the emphasis on rich vocabulary to the integration of writing.
- What dollar amounts school systems anticipate spending over the next two years on core and supplemental curriculum materials that align with new reading policies, at the elementary, middle, and high school level.
- Which district administrators and school employees are gaining the most influence in making purchasing decisions, as school systems move to adopt science of reading-backed resources.
- The core elements of professional development programs for reading that school districts want — for instance, on-demand vs. live training, and in-person vs. virtual delivery.
- The most popular forms of commercial professional development programs, as opposed to those created by school districts and other sources.
- How much school districts expect to spend on new forms of formative, interim/benchmark, and summative assessments aligned to new reading standards.
- What new reading policies in states and districts mean for purchasing of open educational resources, and materials for English-language learners, and special needs populations.
- The likelihood of investment over the coming year in fiction and nonfiction books; texts for specific reading levels; and decodable books.
The findings in the report reflect many of the same themes that the editorial team at EdWeek Market Brief has been exploring as part of our ongoing coverage of trends in curriculum and school district purchasing.
Once you’ve delved into the new special report, let us know how the findings align with your experiences working with districts, and where our reporting, research, and analysis needs to go next.
EdWeek Market Brief members can click below to access the report.
