How to address the student readiness crisis—and attract students to your teaching programs

Open a newspaper (or a news app) and you’re confronted with headlines like:

“American Children’s Reading Skills Reach New Lows,”

“US children fall further behind in reading, make little improvement in math on national exam,”

“Reading Scores Fall to New Low on NAEP, Fueled by Declines for Struggling Students.”

As a former elementary school teacher, I lived many of these headlines myself and often felt overwhelmed by the task that stood before me. The Student Readiness Crisis is multifaceted and requires support from stakeholders across K-12, higher ed, employers, and communities. But there are two things that deans of colleges of education can do to both support K-12 schools during this critical time and attract students to their programs.

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1. Incorporate and emphasize the science of reading in elementary teacher preparation programs

In 2024, only 31% of fourth graders scored at or above “proficient” on the National Assessment of Educational Progress (NAEP) exam, down from 33% in 2022. Between 2019 and 2022, 45 states and Washington, DC passed laws regarding reading instruction to address this persistent trend. However, the National Council on Teacher Quality (NCTQ) found that only 25% of teacher preparation programs adequately teach the science of reading and only 10% of graduate-level teaching programs cover the five components of reading in 2023.

Further, 31% of teacher preparation programs have no coursework related to the science of reading. And many teacher licensing exams do not require candidates to demonstrate knowledge of the five components of reading and evidence-based reading instruction. Even if not required for licensure, it is more important than ever to ensure teachers are entering the classroom with the proper knowledge and training to instruct students. With the decline of student literacy rates, teachers must be equipped with effective strategies to support their students.

While I was in the classroom, North Carolina passed a law requiring all teachers to participate in an intensive science of reading training (LETRS). This training required many hours of work over the course of the year, in addition to my regular duties as a teacher. As I moved through the coursework, I was implementing the strategies I learned in real time. Over half of my students started each school year reading below or significantly below grade level. Had my teacher preparation program included instruction on the science of reading, my students would have received more evidence-backed instruction from the get-go, rather than having to play catch-up.

Include the science of reading within your teacher preparation programs to help future teachers best support their students. Quality instruction is one of the most important factors in determining whether a child will be a fluent reader, and schools of education stand at the forefront of teacher training.

2. Offer alternative teacher preparation programs in addition to traditional teacher preparation programs.

86% of K-12 public schools in the United States reported challenges hiring teachers for the 2023-2024 academic year. And even though enrollment in teacher preparation programs grew overall between 2018 and 2022, researchers still believe there will not be enough teachers to meet demand.

However, NCTQ found that enrollment in alternative teacher preparation programs is growing faster than enrollment in traditional programs. And while completions have slightly increased nationally between the 2018-2019 and 2020-2021 academic years, some states still experienced declines.

For example, while programs in Texas grew enrollments, they saw a decrease in completions. Between the 2016-2017 and 2020-2021 academic years, California saw a 27% increase in completions, however. During this time, California instituted a “grow-your-own” program to support paraprofessionals in becoming teachers and provided funding for teacher residency programs. While some for-profit alternative teacher preparation programs may be associated with lower rates of completion and less qualified teachers, university-based alternative teacher preparation programs produce more graduates than alternative programs not associated with higher education institutions.

Incorporating the science of reading and evidence-backed instruction practices into your teacher preparation program and/or offering alternative teacher preparation programs like certificates or residency programs are two ways to begin to combat the student readiness crisis and work towards ensuring all students have access to excellent teachers and instruction.