BUFFALO, N.Y. — Unlike 30 other states, New York does not require a phonics-based approach to reading instruction. That leaves each of the state’s 731 school districts free to select its own reading curriculum.
“New York, in general, is behind most other states when it comes to this, which I think is reflected in the reading scores,” said Jeff Smink, deputy director of The Education Trust – New York.
“Every district is like the Wild West,” said Tarja Parssinen, founder of WNY Education Alliance. “Most instruction in Western New York districts is not aligned with either the data or the science of how kids learn to read.”