$10M in budget to boost New York state's lagging reading proficiency
New York's newly minted budget commits $10 million to train thousands of teachers in literary science to revamp their reading instruction strategies as the state's literacy rates suffer — plummeting nationwide since the COVID-19 pandemic.
State leaders are taking action to ensure teachers will help elementary schoolers become skilled readers after state Education Department data shows only about half of New York students scored "proficient" in English Language Arts exams last year.