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DPI to Hire Literacy Coaches Statewide
Wisconsin’s public school managers are finally focusing on reading.
The state’s Department of Public Instruction on Wednesday announced they are beginning the process of hiring literacy coaches for elementary schools across the state.
"Improving literacy takes sustained effort," State Superintendent Dr. Jill Underly said in a statement. "This work is about doing what’s best for kids and making sure every student builds the strong reading foundation they need to succeed. That means ensuring educators have the time, support, and coaching necessary to meet students where they are."
The move is welcome, but late.
Wisconsin lawmakers passed a law, Act-20, back in 2023 that required schools to get literacy coaches to boost reading levels by the fourth grade.
DPI on Wednesday said it will take the next two years to “place literacy coaches into 50 public schools and four private schools.”
“It’s a positive to see DPI finally doing something here. But the long delay is reflective of the way in which DPI has dragged its feet throughout the entire Act 20 implementation process,” Will Flanders with the Wisconsin Institute for Law and Liberty said Wednesday. “Every delay means more kids fall through the cracks.”
Test scores show nearly two-thirds of kids in Wisconsin cannot read or write at grade level. When you break those numbers down to specific kids in specific schools, the numbers get worse. For example, test scores show 95% of black fourth graders in Milwaukee Public Schools cannot solve a simple word problem.
Still, the lawmakers who pushed Act-20 through the legislature, cheered DPI’s announcement.
"This is great news for Wisconsin students!," Rep. Amanda Nedweski, R-Pleasant Prairie said on X. "When only 31% of Wisconsin 4th graders are reading at grade level, it’s clear the status quo isn't working. Providing struggling students with reading coaches and evidence-based curriculum is critical to improving outcomes."
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