[Madison, Wis.] – Today, candidate for Wisconsin Superintendent of Public Instruction John Humphries announced a new proposed Roadmap to Reading Success in Wisconsin.

“After 16 years of Tony Evers’ leadership at DPI, tens of thousands of Wisconsin children have failed to learn to read proficiently, It is time for our State Superintendent to take this problem seriously and support practices that have been proven effective in other states,” said candidate for Superintendent of Public Instruction John Humphries. “Our children deserve better than to keep falling further behind.”

National results reveal disturbing information about 4th grade students in Wisconsin schools. The proficiency rate statewide for white students is just 44 percent; only half of Wisconsin students not qualifying for free or reduced lunch can read proficiently. It is well known that the state’s African-American students score among the lowest in the nation, with only an 11 percent proficiency rate. With this in mind, the Badger State has one of the largest achievement gaps between white and African-American students in the United States.

Humphries Reading Roadmap includes the following actions:

  1. Improved training for teachers and administrators
  2. Improved learning standards
  3. Guidance and support from DPI for schools selecting high-impact reading curriculum and interventions
  4. Public reporting of results

Wisconsin’s children cannot continue to suffer with four more years of the same status quo approach at the Department of Public Instruction. This roadmap for reading success will bring Wisconsin into the 21st century of reading instruction. The state can raise achievement for all students while closing the achievement gap.

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