From Reading Research to Practice: A Guide For Parents

The Cornerstone Advantage: A Fresh Start Built on the Science of Reading

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Part One of a Three-Part Series: What Research Tells Us About How Children Learn

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The only way research makes a difference is if it reaches the classroom.

Across the United States, something remarkable is happening in literacy education.

States are increasingly passing laws requiring schools to adopt evidence-based reading practices aligned with what is commonly called the Science of Reading. 

The Science of Reading is not a program or a single study. It reflects decades of interdisciplinary research from cognitive psychology, neuroscience, linguistics, and education, examining how children learn to read and which instructional practices are most effective.

The urgency is clear. In 2024, only about 31 percent of fourth-grade students in the United States performed at or above the “Proficient” level in reading, according to the Nation’s Report Card.

Over the past decade, more than 40 states have adopted policies to improve literacy instruction through evidence-based practices. New Hampshire is part of this movement. Under RSA 189:53, beginning July 1, 2027, all school districts and chartered public schools providing elementary education must provide measurable, evidence-based instruction in literacy through grade 5, including the following components: 

• phonemic awareness

• phonics

• fluency

• vocabulary

• comprehension

  
  

This long-awaited attention to effective literacy instruction is cause for celebration, but why did it take so long, and how will legislative mandates translate into classroom practice? 

The Gap Between Reading Research and Practice

Instructional Traditions and the Publishing Market

For decades, many teachers were trained in approaches that encouraged students to rely on context clues, pictures, or guessing strategies when encountering unfamiliar words. These methods were widely promoted in teacher preparation programs and professional development. Several large publishers dominated the literacy market, capitalizing on instructional approaches that became widely adopted in teacher preparation programs and school districts across the country.

As a result, a gap developed between what research tells us about reading and what actually happens in classrooms, and that gap has real consequences. 

Millions of children have experienced instruction that did not reflect our knowledge about how reading develops. This reality is heartbreaking and should give us all pause.

When We Know Better, We Do Better 

There is a popular saying: When we know better, we do better. While this may be true, another saying is also true: The devil is in the details. Changing instructional practice is difficult. It requires an investment of time, money, and training. In a time when budgets are tight and critical positions, such as instructional coaches, are being cut, the challenges are even greater. In other words, improving reading instruction is not as simple as legislative mandates or purchasing new programs. 

From Reading Mandates to Classroom Practice

Mandates can accelerate change, but they also create pressure for schools.

When states require new initiatives, districts often focus enormous energy on meeting those requirements. While that focus can be necessary, it can also lead schools to concentrate on a single aspect of the reform while losing sight of the broader learning experiences students need.

Teaching children to decode and spell words accurately is essential. But skill instruction alone does not produce strong readers. Understandably, much attention has been devoted to phonemic awareness and phonics, as reading depends on deciphering the words on the page. 

But students also need opportunities to build knowledge about the world, engage with meaningful ideas, and develop curiosity about learning.

Effective literacy education must address both how students learn to read and the knowledge they bring to their reading. 

A Fresh Start At Cornerstone

At Cornerstone Charter School, these ideas are not a new mandate. They are the foundation of our school’s design and are embodied in our mission.

Cornerstone was founded on the belief that every child deserves a strong foundation in literacy and knowledge. Our approach combines foundational reading instruction with knowledge building, grounded in research on how people learn.

Because these principles are embedded in our school’s design from the beginning, we are not trying to retrofit new practices onto long-standing systems or replace programs that may not align with research.

Instead, we can implement evidence-based practices consistently from the start.

The challenge facing schools today is not discovering how children learn to read. It is translating decades of research into everyday classroom practice.

Looking Ahead

The Science of Reading tells us how children learn to decode and understand written language. But another body of research, the Science of Learning, helps explain how knowledge develops and how learning becomes lasting and meaningful.

In the coming weeks, we will explore two additional ideas that are essential to strong education:

Part 2: Why Knowledge Matters — How a content-rich curriculum strengthens reading comprehension.

Part 3: The Science of Learning — What research tells us about how children learn best. Spoiler Alert: Students need to be actively engaged.

Understanding how these ideas work together can help schools create learning environments where students not only learn to read but also develop the knowledge and curiosity that support lifelong learning.