Science of Reading Movement advocates rally against education research funding cuts

Guest authors Kata Solow and Callie Lowenstein, both former classroom teachers, are advocating for the Science of Reading Movement. Since 2019, despite political differences, a coalition of teachers, parents, journalists, and researchers has pushed for over 430 bills aimed at aligning literacy instruction with research across all states and the District of Columbia.

Solow and Lowenstein highlight the movement's success as stemming from passion and collaboration. "Our strength derives from our drive and passion to learn," they note. A significant contributor to this success is the Institute of Education Sciences (IES), a division within the US Department of Education that funds educational research.

The authors express concern over recent funding cuts to IES, warning that these could hinder future advancements in reading programs like UFLI, Think SRSD, or Reading Simplified. They stress that such cuts threaten progress: "Today’s cuts mean that the next effective reading program will never get into the classroom."

Solow and Lowenstein call for renewed support for IES: "If the Science of Reading Movement doesn't stand up for the IES...who will?" They emphasize organizing efforts through a Week of Action to spotlight IES's contributions and encourage collective advocacy.

In addition to their call to action, they mention ongoing research projects evaluating K-12 school finance systems led by Susan B. Neuman from New York University in collaboration with other institutions.