Reading and writing are fundamental, or at least we hope that by the time students graduate high school they can read and write. The understanding of how students learn to read and write differs. Policymakers have a concentrated focus on how students develop reading and writing skills. A group of elementary teachers, those who teach reading and writing, possess an experiential view.
Comprehensive literacy instruction
The Every Student Succeeds Act indicated that comprehensive literacy instruction included high-quality instruction and effective strategies for reading and writing inclusive of all school-aged students. However, I submit the following question: do policymakers consider that high-quality instruction may vary from district to district and school to school?
A study by Rodas and Elizabeth suggested non-Title I schools in New York received better-equipped teachers than Title I schools. Proposed disparities among members from different socioeconomic backgrounds have not been absent in the pursuit of an equitable and quality education for all students. Nevertheless, the quest for improved teaching and learning opportunities required a closer look into the instructional practices of teachers responsible for teaching reading and writing.
Beliefs about English Language Arts
Williams found that teachers' beliefs about how students learned to read and write aligned with their instructional practices. Teachers' beliefs about how students learned to read and write included an analysis of six themes: literacy instruction, reading preparation, student performance, cultural referencing, barriers, and professional development. Their descriptions included depth and insights ranging from teachers' personal learning experiences as students to references about students' socioeconomic status.
When policymakers create frameworks for literacy development, there is more to consider than high-quality instruction and effective strategies. The former statement may seem like an oxymoron coming for a curriculum enthusiast, but we must consider teachers providing classroom instruction as well as the students they serve. Both are a monopoly in a necessary market: education. The personal experiences of teachers and students shape who they are and how they interact with one another in a classroom setting.
Pedagogical Content Knowledge
The discovery that teachers' beliefs aligned with their instructional practices prompts the question: What were they teaching during literacy instruction?
School districts spend thousands of dollars each year to purchase resources to increase student achievement. The expenses to educate America's students increased due to the pandemic. The government provided an exponential amount of funding through the American Rescue Plan to provide school districts across the nation with additional resources to educate students during the pandemic.
Teachers educating students during the pandemic identified barriers associated with changes in the learning environment. Nevertheless, teachers manifested instructional practices they believed supported the development of students reading and writing skills. Teachers' knowledge about instructional practices in whole-group and small-group settings manifested in three themes: literacy instruction, student performance, and experiences. Also, teachers identified these themes as they shared details about their beliefs.
There were no details related to their educational training to become teachers. Teachers discussed using students' learning experiences to teach reading and writing. Individuals question how effective traditional education preparation programs are at providing teachers with the skills required to teach students. Some preservice teachers do not pass content tests after completing teacher preparation programs. Alabama is considering eliminating teacher certification tests due to a critical need to fill classrooms. If this becomes the trend, how many states will follow?
Comprehensive literacy skills
Williams' study revealed literacy instruction, student performance, and experiences were considered in relation to teachers' beliefs about how students learned to read and write. Teachers evaluated students' performance in a formal and informal setting to assert that students received individualized instructional support. Furthermore, teachers seemed to possess a limited interpretation of reading and writing instruction as a cohesive practice.
Teachers demonstrated a hierarchy in their approaches to reading and writing. Reading encompasses instructional practices during literacy instruction. Students' abilities to read indicated their academic performance. Teachers did not describe writing instruction in isolation as reading. They referenced writing in a discussion about reading. The idea of reading and writing as comprehensive literacy skills differed compared to the inclusive model indicated in education policy.
Teachers' discussions about reading preparation resounded their first year of teaching. This implication perpetuates the need to provide sustained support to novice teachers during their first year of teaching and preservice teachers throughout their experiences in teacher preparation programs. Targeted and sustained support for all educators is detrimental for policymakers and leaders within school districts to uphold. Surprisingly, leaders in school districts may find it easier to fill leadership roles than general classroom teachers. This nuance may be equated if teachers are recruited with the knowledge that they will receive sustained support throughout their first three years of teaching (Taşkin).
With this study, we learned that to read does not necessarily mean to write. Individuals cannot assume teachers understand the comprehensive approach of teaching reading and writing in tandem. The sole responsibility does not lie with the teachers. Many educational resources present writing as a secondary focus of reading instruction.
In the quest to assert that America's students are literate, educational stakeholders may need to redirect their focus to how teachers are trained in the field and hiring more personnel to support novice and veteran teachers (Santos & Miguel).
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