Jahana Hayes on Trump Administration's Education Cuts Harming K-12 Literacy Programs

Federal Role in Education

• 🎯 The federal government's role is to support state and local efforts in adopting policies and laws that promote effective literacy practices, not to write curriculum.
• 💡 States and local school districts, not Congress, determine how literacy programs are created and implemented.

Data and Literacy Outcomes

• 📊 Disaggregating NAPE score data reveals that white students experience the largest gains, indicating that access to opportunities is not equitable.
• 🧠 The Elementary and Secondary Education Act (ESEA) requires states receiving Title 1A funds to teach and assess core subjects.
• 📈 Title 2 programs under ESEA provide funding to help improve student academic achievements in reading and writing.

Impact of Funding Cuts

• ⚠️ The Trump administration's dismantling of the Department of Education and efforts to defund K-12 programs will negatively impact teaching and learning.
• 📉 Cancellation of $900 million in contracts at the Institute of Education Sciences, including literacy research, and elimination of ESSA Title 2 funding for teacher preparation will actively harm literacy programs.

Best Practices for Literacy

• 📚 Agreeing on the science of reading and multi-tiered systems of support is crucial for student success.
• 🔍 Using data to inform practice and pinpoint issues for specific students is essential, recognizing that not all students experience education the same way.
• 🤝 Federal funding supports districts in making informed decisions and honing in on students who need the most help, and defunding the federal agency undermines this support.