Bipartisan bill puts the science of reading, universal screenings, and clear information for parents at the center of how America teaches children to read
WASHINGTON, D.C., June 8, 2026: Today, Senator Bill Cassidy (R-LA), Chairman of the Senate Health, Education, Labor and Pensions Committee, and Senator Maggie Hassan (D-NH), alongside Senator Jim Banks (R-IN) and Senator John Hickenlooper (D-CO) introduced the Reading Excellence and Achievement for Development Act, known as the READ Act. The bipartisan bill modernizes the federal government’s largest literacy grant program for the first time in roughly a decade and makes evidence-based instruction the standard for state grant recipients rather than the exception.
Earlier this year, the National Parents Union, which helped shape the policy behind the bill, convened a bipartisan Capitol Hill briefing alongside the George W. Bush Institute on reading reform in partnership with Senator Cassidy’s office. During the event, state chiefs from across the country shared the same sentiment: statewide literacy strategies work, and the federal government should catch up to the states already seeing gains.
“This did not start in Washington. It started at kitchen tables and in community meetings, with parents who knew something was wrong when their child could not read the words on the page,” said Keri Rodrigues, President of the National Parents Union. “The READ Act is what happens when parents lead and Washington finally follows. The last time parents reshaped federal education policy on this scale was in 1975, when families successfully fought to secure a free public education for every child with a disability. The READ Act carries that same legacy forward—proving once again that when parents organize, advocate, and persist, they can transform the future for millions of children. This legislation empowers families to continue the fight for evidence-based literacy instruction and better outcomes for students nationwide.”
“We have known how to teach children to read for a very long time. The failure was never a lack of evidence. It was a lack of urgency and a lack of will. The READ Act takes what is working in states like Mississippi and Louisiana and makes it the standard instead of the exception, and it gives parents the honest information they need to fight for their own kids. There is nothing partisan about a child learning to read, and it is good to see Washington remember that,” said Former Secretary of Education under President Obama, Arne Duncan.
“Reading is more than just an education issue; it’s a workforce, competitiveness, and ultimately a moral issue that Americans want policymakers to address now. A Bipartisan Policy Center poll last December confirmed that Americans believe literacy is essential to opportunity, and they want leaders to work together to ensure it’s available to all kids. By strengthening federal support for evidence-based literacy instruction and giving parents real information about their child’s progress, the READ Act makes good on the belief that every child can learn to read,” said Former Secretary of Education under President Bush, Margaret Spellings.
What the READ Act does
The READ Act updates and strengthens the federal Comprehensive Literacy State Development (CLSD) grant program, which currently helps 23 states invest in literacy policies and programs. But the grant program has not been meaningfully revised since it was authorized under the Every Student Succeeds Act in 2015, and in that time, we’ve seen incredible gains in states like Mississippi and Louisiana that have made big investments and policy reform in the science of reading. The READ Act will scale these successes nationwide and encourage states to invest in:
High quality instructional materials aligned to the science of reading, so that evidence-based instruction is the norm rather than the exception
Universal early literacy screenings, so reading struggles get caught early instead of years too late
Parent notification and intervention plans, so families know when a child is reading below grade level and what the school will do about it
Interventions, such as tutoring and summer learning programs, so that struggling readers have the supports they need to catch up
Stronger alignment between teacher preparation programs and the science of reading, so that educators are ready to teach on day one in the classroom
Literacy coaching networks and professional development, so that educators have the supports they need to continue to improve their instruction
Why it matters now
The need to improve literacy rates is urgent. All across the country, parents share one painful concern: their kids are behind in reading, and their futures are on the line.
According to the National Assessment of Educational Progress, the nation’s most recent reading results were the lowest for twelfth graders since the exam began in 1992, with roughly one in three students graduating reading below the Basic level. There is not a single state across the country where the majority of students are reading on grade level. Our kids deserve to graduate 21st century literate, and instead, many are struggling just to understand basic texts. These are the children who will grow up to review your medical records, build your houses, and measure the dosage on your prescriptions. The United States cannot continue to lead the global economy when our workforce struggles with such foundational skills. Low literacy is estimated to cost taxpayers around $224 billion a year and businesses roughly $40 billion in lost productivity.
The READ Act is endorsed by more than 120 local parent groups, literacy and dyslexia advocates, and national education partners, including: All4Ed, Bipartisan Policy Center (BPC) Action, Campaign for Grade Level Reading, Center for American Progress, Center for Learner Equity, Center for Strong Public Schools, Collaborative for Student Success, Defense of Democracy, Dignity In Schools Campaign, EdTrust, Educators for Excellence, Educators NOW!, Freedom to Choose Schools, FULCRUM, Hawaii Literacy, Honey Brown Hope Foundation, Hustle Mommies, KIPP Foundation, Metropolitan Area Advisory Committee on Anti-Poverty (MAAC), National Center for Learning Disabilities, National Council on Teacher Quality, Padres en Liderazgo, Parent Impact, Parents Amplifying Voices in Education (PAVE), Revolución Educativa, Saga Education, Students 4 Equity, Teach My Kid to Read, and TeachPlus.
About the National Parents Union
The National Parents Union is a network of parent organizations and grassroots activists working to improve the quality of life for children and families across the country. NPU represents more than 1.7 million families through over 1,800 affiliated organizations in all 50 states, the District of Columbia, and Puerto Rico.