Georgia’s literacy crisis demands action. Speaker Burns is answering the call.
Georgia is facing a student literacy crisis that demands our attention.
Across the state, too many children are struggling to read at grade level. This systemic problem undermines their academic success, workforce readiness and long-term life outcomes.
In Chatham County, the data is sobering. More than 40% of third graders cannot read at grade level. Third grade is a critical milestone: It is the point at which students transition from “learning to read” to “reading to learn.”
When children fall behind at this stage, they are far more likely to struggle across every subject area and far less likely to catch up without meaningful intervention.
The stakes go even higher, as children who struggle with basic reading face dramatically fewer opportunities in life.
Research consistently shows that individuals who cannot read proficiently are more likely to experience unemployment, poverty and involvement with the criminal justice system. More than 85% of court-involved youth are functionally illiterate. There is an incredibly high cost of low educational outcomes, not just to those individuals and their families, but to taxpayers as well.
The long-term public cost of an illiterate child has been estimated at between $413,000 and $693,000 in future spending related to incarceration, public assistance and lost tax revenue. In Chatham County alone, the cumulative cost of low literacy is estimated at $4 billion in long-term liabilities.
These are costs we cannot afford from a financial standpoint and outcomes we should not accept from a moral one.
How House bill will benefit K-3 students
At the Chatham Education Alliance, we work every day to change this trajectory for students.
Through programs like Ignite Reading, an intensive literacy tutoring initiative, we are helping children build foundational reading skills and confidence. We are proud of this work and committed to supporting our children close to home.
But local efforts, no matter how resolute, are not enough on their own.
Georgia needs statewide reform, and that is exactly what Georgia House of Representatives Speaker Jon Burns, R-Newington, has proposed.
House Bill 1193 represents what Burns has called the most significant shift in Georgia education policy in 30 years. The legislation, which passed in the House on Feb. 23, reflects a deep understanding of the literacy crisis facing our schools and takes a research-based approach to solving it.
The bill makes a major investment in early literacy by providing Quality Basic Education funding for school-based literacy coaches in kindergarten through third grade. These coaches will support teachers while ensuring that evidence-based reading strategies, such as phonics, are consistently applied. The proposal to place literacy coaches in every school at these critical grade levels is a game-changer for early intervention.
There are also three remarkable and potentially impactful requirements in the bill.
- First, the proposed coaches shall spend 70% of their time in the classroom. This hands-on approach allows coaches to demonstrate lessons, provide immediate feedback and work side by side with teachers — the types of support research shows improve instruction.
- Second, these coaches must meet rigorous qualifications, including five years of documented, successful classroom teaching experience and expertise in scientifically based reading research. Experts in our colleges of education must be integral in developing these rigorous qualifications.
- Finally, HB 1193 also mandates that kindergarten be a prerequisite for first grade, ensuring that children begin their educational journey with the foundational skills they need to succeed.
Every child should have a chance to succeed
We also want to recognize Burns’ personal commitment to this issue, alongside his wife, Dayle, a retired public schoolteacher who understands firsthand the challenges educators face and the importance of early reading success. Their leadership reflects both policy expertise and lived experience.
Literacy is the foundation upon which all of that is built. As a state, we must accept that teaching our children to read by third grade is our most important collective mission.
When a community raises young readers, the numerous challenges of poverty, crime and lack of fulfilled lives are significantly reduced for everyone in the community. The success of our communities and our state depend on all our children’s ability to learn, grow and thrive.
We urge elected leaders, educators, business leaders, community organizations and families across Georgia to support Burns’ initiative.
The Georgia Early Literacy Act is a necessary and timely response to a crisis that has festered and metastasized for too long. Together, we can ensure that every child in Georgia has the chance to read and succeed, building a brighter future for everyone.
George Woods is chair of the Chatham Education Alliance.
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