California’s public schools are failing Black children. This is not an opinion, it is a fact. We have to find a way to ensure our children can succeed. The status quo is not remotely acceptable.
The National Assessment of Educational Progress (NAEP) recently published their latest data on fourth-grade reading achievement scores and the results are tragic. The percent of California’s Black students proficient in reading in 2024 is lower than it was in 2002—dropping from 11% to just 7% proficient. While students across the board suffered academically as a result of the pandemic, these recent statistics cannot be blamed on COVID-19 alone. The highest reading proficiency score for fourth-grade Black students in California was in 2011, well before the pandemic, at only 19 percent proficiency.
It doesn’t take an education expert to see that the status quo in reading instruction is not working for Black children. Reading researchers have uncovered how the brain develops the neural pathways necessary to learn to read. This research informs the instructional practices and materials best suited for a child’s brain to develop these pathways: explicit instruction in the pillars of reading (i.e., phonemic awareness, phonics, fluency, vocabulary, and comprehension) over a foundation of oral language development. And yet, California does not require that classrooms utilize these proven strategies. In fact, a recent curriculum review found that fewer than 2% of the state’s largest school districts are using reading programs and principles grounded in the reading research.
This is not a matter of funding. California’s per-pupil spending has increased by 102% since 2013. It is a matter of political, educational, social, and economic equality of minority citizens in California, which is the NAACP California-Hawaii State Conference’s principal objective.
Given the urgency of this issue, the NAACP California-Hawaii State Conference is a proud co-sponsor of Assemblywoman Rubio’s evidence-based early literacy bill, AB 1121. This bill will fund professional development for all elementary educators to be trained in evidence-based literacy practices and require local school districts to adopt reading instructional materials from a list provided by the State Board of Education that aligns with evidence-based means of teaching literacy. AB 1121 directly corresponds with a recent NAACP resolution wherein every child is reading by the first grade and mastering reading by the third grade. Today, only 2 in 10 third-grade Black students from low-income communities are reading at grade level in California.
California has made some progress in recent years to address the state’s reading crisis, but it falls short of comprehensive reading reform and often fails to move from guidance to action. Approximately one-third of states have committed to implementing at least some form of evidence-based literacy policies, including California most recently with SB 488 (Rubio) and SB 114. However, states that have seen the most significant progress in reading outcomes have implemented comprehensive policies that include not only updated preparation requirements for teacher candidates (SB 488) and universal screening for reading difficulties (SB 114), but also the mandates outlined in AB 1121, including teacher training and updated instructional materials.
Mississippi, for example, moved from 49th in the nation in fourth-grade reading scores in 2013 to 9th in 2024 after implementing comprehensive, evidence-based early literacy policies. And Black students in Mississippi have gained more in reading scores than Black students in any other state in the last decade, currently ranking 8th out of 42 states in fourth-grade reading scores for Black students. Similarly, Louisiana improved its national rank in fourth-grade reading scores from last in the nation in 2019 to 16th in 2024, and had one of the largest increases nationally in fourth-grade reading proficiency for Black students between 2013-2024. California, on the other hand, currently stands at a dismal 39th of 42 states in the nation for fourth-grade Black student reading proficiency.
The problem is obviously not that Black children in California inherently struggle to read, but that they are not being provided with effective reading instruction and materials. Upending generations of economic, social, and educational injustices and harm placed on Black Californians starts with prioritizing equitable access to opportunity by ensuring that Black students can read. This is a fundamental civil right that we are willing to fight for. Because when we fight, we win! Let’s fight for this together!
President Callender’s Bio
Rick L. Callender is a member of the NAACP board of directors and has served on the organization’s Resolutions Committee for more than 20 years. He is also president of the NAACP California-Hawaii State Conference, which includes 74 branches and youth units. From 2000 to 2008, he served as president of the NAACP San Jose-Silicon Valley Branch.