New York, NY: Literacy Academy Collective and New York State Education Commissioner Betty A. Rosa are thrilled to announce that New York State has been chosen to participate in the third cohort of Hunt Institute’s The Path Forward for Teacher Preparation and Licensure in Early Literacy. In coordination with the New York State Education Department (NYSED), Literacy Academy Collective(LAC) has been tapped to convene the NY State Path Forward cohort team, with the aim to transform early literacy instruction in New York State by embedding the science of reading into educator preparation. Led by an esteemed Steering Committee, The Path Forward team is comprised of leaders from NYSED; the NY State Legislature; the Governor’s office; leaders, deans, and faculty from higher education educator preparation programs; and key community advocates, funders, and stakeholders from across New York State. They will gather regularly over the course of the year to collaborate on a New York State Action Plan to make that goal a reality.

The Steering Committee will work in concert with Commissioner Rosa, New York State Board of Regents Chancellor Lester W. Young, Jr., State University of New York (SUNY) Chancellor John B. King, Jr., The City University of New York (CUNY) Chancellor Félix V. Matos Rodríguez, and New York City Public Schools Chancellor David C. Banks, who will lend their collective support and institutional commitment. This policy initiative has the power to transform the way NY State prepares educators for the classroom, finally ensuring that all NY State students learn to read.

Including this year’s cohort, eighteen states will have participated in The Path Forward process, an important trend that will have a profound impact on national literacy rates. The Path Forward makes clear that collective effort has the power to transform educator preparation while demonstrating the importance of honoring the nuances of each state. The result has been well-defined local strategies to support essential shifts in practice. Over the next year, New York will work alongside five other states from the Northeast, Midwest, Southwest, and Pacific Northwest to develop actionable strategies to make that goal a reality in their states. Each team will be supported in their efforts through intensive coaching, participation in virtual convenings, and attendance at an in-person convening to be held in July 2024 in North Carolina. At the end of their participation, teams will have a customized action plan for further embedding the science of reading into their state’s higher education teacher prep programs to be implemented in the following years.