New Teach Plus Report Elevates Educator Voices on Transforming Reading Instruction Statewide
SACRAMENTO, CA, November 3, 2025—With the State Board of Education set to discuss professional development criteria and instructional materials adoption guidance on November 5, a timely new report from Teach Plus California elevates what teachers say state leaders must consider to maximize California’s $500 million literacy investment. These priorities include high-quality curriculum aligned with the science of reading, sustained coaching support, and dedicated time for collaboration. The report, From Policy to Practice: Improving Early Literacy with Insights from California Educators, comes at a critical moment—only 29% of California’s 4th graders currently read at or above proficiency levels, according to the 2024 NAEP results.
“California has created an unprecedented opportunity to address our literacy crisis head-on,” said Sarah Lillis, Teach Plus California Executive Director. “But these investments will only transform student outcomes if they lead to lasting changes in classroom practice. Our report ensures that the voices and expertise of teachers, who are closest to students, guide that transformation.”
Teach Plus teacher leaders who authored the report conducted focus groups with 40 educators across California. Focus group participants shed light on significant gaps in current literacy instruction: insufficient instructional materials rooted in evidence-based practices; inadequate professional development and coaching; and limited collaboration time, support staff, and materials to address students’ varying needs.
The report outlines three core recommendations for state and local leaders to maximize California’s literacy investments:
- Integrate new resources into a comprehensive statewide literacy roadmap with meaningful oversight to ensure consistent, evidence-based instruction across districts.
- Foster structured, data-driven coaching models and job-embedded professional development that goes beyond one-time workshops to provide ongoing, classroom-based support.
- Cultivate a culture of continuous improvement by equipping administrators as instructional leaders, aligning curriculum with assessments, and facilitating collaborative professional learning networks.
“Educators are in classrooms every day—we know what works and what our students need,” said Allison Walker, a high school program specialist in Escondido and Teach Plus California Senior Policy Fellow. “We need instructional materials rooted in how kids actually learn to read, regular coaching support, and time to work together as educators. If state and local leaders listen to what teachers are telling them and invest these dollars strategically, we can transform literacy outcomes for our students.”
Throughout the report, teachers consistently highlighted the need for better support for multilingual learners, a priority for Teach Plus California and the organization’s advocacy in the state. Teachers reported a critical shortage of curriculum in home languages and noted that English learners arrive with vastly different educational backgrounds—some highly literate in their home language, others with limited formal schooling—requiring targeted instruction with home language support, culturally responsive materials, and strategies for addressing diverse proficiency levels.
“We need a high-quality, comprehensive, and cohesive curriculum that supports all learners, including multilingual learners,” said Chanmi Chun, one of the brief’s authors who is a literacy specialist in San Jose and Teach Plus California Policy Fellowship alumna. “Most of what I’m doing is piecing together materials from different programs. This results in a lack of consistency with how and what our students are being taught. We need robust teacher materials that emphasize language learning in both English and home languages, coupled with targeted teacher training to guarantee their proper use and maximize effective implementation, to meet the goal of boosting reading proficiency and equitable outcomes for all diverse learners.”
About Teach Plus
The mission of Teach Plus is to empower excellent, experienced, and diverse teachers to take leadership over key policy and practice issues that advance equity, opportunity, and student success. Since 2009, Teach Plus has developed thousands of teacher leaders across the country to exercise their leadership in shaping education policy and improving teaching and learning for students. teachplus.org/ca/
