Dr. LaKeshia N. Myers
By LaKeshia N. Myers
As August winds down and the familiar rhythm of school preparation begins, parents across Wisconsin find themselves navigating a transformed educational landscape. The backpacks are packed, the supplies purchased, but this year brings something different – Wisconsin’s Act 20, which mandates science-based early literacy instruction in our schools. This isn’t just another policy change; it’s a recognition that we’re in a literacy crisis that demands our immediate attention.
Roughly 67% of Wisconsin fourth graders struggle with reading proficiency. Let that statistic settle for a moment. When two-thirds of our children cannot read at grade level, we’re not just facing an educational challenge – we’re confronting a generational crisis that threatens the very fabric of our community’s future.
But here’s what I’ve learned in my years as both an educator and legislator: parents are not powerless. In fact, you are your child’s first and most important teacher. Act 20 requires schools to assess students in kindergarten through third grade on phonemic awareness, decoding skills, alphabet knowledge, letter-sound knowledge, and oral vocabulary, but your work begins long before your child walks through those classroom doors.
Maya Payne Smart, a renowned literacy advocate and author of “Reading for Our Lives,” challenges us to move beyond the traditional “bedtime story” approach to literacy. Smart advocates for weaving a range of simple, fun, free literacy habits and activities into everyday family life. This isn’t about adding more to your already overwhelming schedule – it’s about being intentional with the moments you already have.
Start with conversation. Talk to your children about everything – the grocery store visit, the car ride to practice, the evening news. Smart emphasizes that nurturing language and literacy development must start from the beginning, providing easy, immediate, and accessible ways for parents to engage. When you describe what you’re doing while cooking dinner or explain why you chose one route over another, you’re building your child’s vocabulary and comprehension skills.
Create a print-rich environment in your home. Labels on toy bins, grocery lists your child can help write, even comic strips on the refrigerator – all of these send the message that reading and writing are valuable parts of daily life. Remember, brain architecture for reading develops rapidly during infancy, and early language experiences shape a child’s trajectory.
As we prepare for this school year under Act 20’s new requirements, remember that you’re not alone in this journey. The law mandates intervention for students below the 25th percentile, ensuring support systems are in place. But prevention remains our strongest strategy.
For more information and assistance, I invite all parents, teachers, and community members to attend the S.O.A.R. training on August 25, 2025, at the Villard Square Library (program begins at six o’clock in the evening), sponsored by the Epsilon Kappa Omega Chapter of Alpha Kappa Alpha Sorority, Inc. Together with other community groups, S.O.A.R. aims to give access and opportunity to the public about issues of concern. Education is the next great civil rights frontier, and we must be vigilant.
We have decisions to make – important, life-altering decisions that will impact our children for generations to come. Will we choose to be passive observers of our children’s literacy development, or will we embrace our role as their first literacy champions? The choice, as always, is ours to make.
Our children deserve nothing less than our intentional, informed action. Their futures depend on the foundation we build today.