For years, the wrong approach to literacy instruction dominated schools – balanced literacy taught students to read by guessing. Numerous studies have shown the weakness and harmfulness in this approach, but all but two New York state colleges (public and private), still teach aspiring teachers the balanced literacy system.
Further, in 2023, New York City’s public school system completely overhauled its literacy curriculum to align with the science of reading. But teachers have little understanding of why the programs are changing, and they don’t have training in research on the development of literacy to make them effective teachers.
The Heckscher Foundation for Children supported Brooklyn College’s Dr. Katharine Pace Miles in providing New York City teachers with an opportunity to complete a ten-hour microcredential in the science of reading, the approach now considered the state of art in reading instruction.
The microcredential is providing the basic knowledge of reading science, delivering a foundation for more effective literacy instruction. There is an opportunity for deeper knowledge with an optional advanced certificate. Our grant has led to further support from CUNY to train prospective NYC teachers using the microcredential.