Families In Schools Urges Congress to Pass the Bipartisan READ Act

Over the last several years, California lawmakers have passed landmark legislation and made historic investments to improve student literacy. Now, Families In Schools is urging Congress to build on that momentum by passing the bipartisan READ Act, introduced in the U.S. Senate in June and the House of Representatives in August.

“Families know that reading changes the trajectory of a child’s life,” said Yolie Flores, President and CEO of Families In Schools. “Parents are a child’s first teachers and essential partners in literacy. They are looking beyond politics and asking leaders to do what works. We have decades of research showing how children learn to read, and states across the country are proving that evidence-based instruction can dramatically improve literacy outcomes. Congress has an opportunity to build on that progress by ensuring that federal literacy investments are grounded in the science of reading. Our children deserve nothing less.”

Families In Schools is proud to stand alongside the National Parents Union and more than 120 parent organizations, literacy and dyslexia advocates, and national education organizations in endorsing the READ Act. The bipartisan legislation would modernize the federal government’s largest literacy grant program for the first time in more than a decade and ensure that evidence-based literacy instruction becomes the expectation—not the exception—for states receiving federal literacy funding.

Reading achievement nationwide has fallen to its lowest level since 1992, according to the 2025 Nation’s Report Card. In California, fewer than half of students are reading at grade level. While the state has taken important steps to strengthen literacy instruction, much more work remains to ensure every child has the opportunity to become a successful reader.

Representative Kevin Kiley (CA-03), who represents portions of the Sacramento region and Sierra Nevada counties, is co-leading the READ Act in the House of Representatives.

“In California and all across the country, millions of students are falling behind when it comes to their ability to read proficiently,” Rep. Kiley said in a statement. “Our bipartisan legislation will help reverse this troubling trend through reforms including improved teacher training and early literacy assessments that will help ensure more students gain the proficiency they need for success in school and life.”

Public support for stronger federal action on literacy is broad and bipartisan. National polling shows that parents across the political spectrum want policymakers to do more to ensure every child learns to read.

By passing the READ Act, Congress can build on the momentum already underway in states like California and help ensure that every child—regardless of where they live—has access to evidence-based reading instruction and the opportunity to become a confident, successful reader.