Educating Young Children Volume 1 - Winter 2026 | Page 53

So, it’ s important not to look at these scores and decide there’ s one reason or one solution. Rather, children need instruction that addresses the range of knowledge, skills, and strategies that help them to become strong readers and writers.

Annie: You’ re among those who have argued that literacy development is complex and requires educators to know and do a lot.

Tanya: Literacy teaching is complex and nuanced work. For each aspect of literacy development, teachers need to know what children need to learn at each grade level, how to figure out where each child is in their literacy development, and how to use that information to determine what children need to learn next. Then, teachers need to know and implement appropriate instructional practices for children in their classrooms who may be at different points in their literacy development.

As a society, we have to recognize that early childhood educators are engaged in this very complex work, not only focused on literacy but across all subject areas. We need to ensure that educators have the preparation, resources, and ongoing support they need to do this critical work.

Annie: What should educators working with different age groups think about?

Tanya: As children develop, they need different literacy supports. And we want them to be able to engage with texts with increasing independence over time. For children from birth to 5, most text interactions are mediated by adults( the adult reads to children). As children enter elementary school, they should move toward more independent reading( both decoding and comprehending text) and writing.