Exploring Next-Generation Education: Educational Equity and the Science of Reading: What’s at Stake?

The ability to read is fundamental to full participation in a democratic society and serves as the basis for ongoing opportunity and success. Unfortunately, children who do not learn to read well typically do not perform well in school and often have subsequent challenges in postsecondary education and careers. The Excellent Public Schools Act of 2021 puts front and center support for reading excellence, and specifically the science of reading, in North Carolina. The purpose of this panel discussion is to explore the relationship between educational equity and the science of reading and to articulate what is at stake as NC educators implement the state’s reading plan post-COVID.