New York City public schools to roll out new reading program

NEW YORK CITY (WABC) — New York City is changing the way it teaches reading, getting children hooked on phonics, after Schools Chancellor David Banks concluded public schools have been teaching reading the wrong way for decades.

Mayor and Schools Chancellor are expected to discuss the matter at 9 a.m. in Brooklyn.

Schools will now adopt one of three curriculums – using phonics, which teach how to decode letter sounds – instead of more traditional methods like using picture clues to guess words.

Half of the districts will begin the program in September; the others will start in 2024.

Waivers to opt out will be considered for schools where more than 85% of students are proficient in reading, a threshold that only about 20 schools meet.

About half of city children in grades three through eight are not proficient in reading.

Black, Latino and low-income children fare even worse.

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