“When the Classroom Fails Them, There’s No Backup”: LI Literacy Coalition Founder Speaks to NY Focus on Science of Reading Compliance Gap

New York Focus analysis finds more than 130 districts still using balanced literacy curricula despite state law requiring science of reading alignment by September 2025

IN THE NEWS

LONG ISLAND LITERACY COALITION

MAY 7, 2026

Coalition co-founder Kat Fratticci was quoted in New York Focus as part of reporter Melissa Manno’s data-driven investigation into whether New York’s Back to Basics law is translating from policy into practice. The piece examines mandatory survey data submitted by districts to NYSED in September 2025 and finds that more than 130 of the state’s 713 school districts are still using balanced literacy curricula, including some of the most widely discredited programs in reading research. The investigation also references the Hechinger Report investigation into New York’s $10 million teacher training program, in which LILC founder Deborah Aiello was quoted, noting that the training came under fire for including balanced literacy approaches. Together, these investigations paint a troubling picture of a reform effort without the enforcement to match its ambition.

What New York Focus Found

The investigation reveals a structural problem at the heart of New York’s literacy reform effort. While Back to Basics required all districts to certify science of reading alignment by September 2025, the law left districts responsible for measuring their own compliance. Without requiring proof that curricula are evidence-based and without giving NYSED authority to tell districts which programs to avoid, the result: dozens of districts reported using balanced literacy programs like Fountas and Pinnell and Lucy Calkins’ Units of Study while simultaneously confirming full alignment with state best practices.

New York’s reading outcomes make the stakes clear. Just 31 percent of New York fourth graders were proficient in reading last year, barely above the national average and well behind comparable states like Massachusetts and New Jersey. In 2024, 46 percent of New York third graders were below basic proficiency, a number that carries long-term consequences: research shows children who are not reading proficiently by third grade are four times more likely to drop out of high school.

The Safety Net That Shouldn’t Be Necessary

Fratticci told New York Focus that part of what keeps districts from making the switch is the weight of prior investment: schools that have already spent heavily on curriculum materials, teacher training, and instructional resources are reluctant to start over, even when the law calls for it. But for families who cannot supplement what school provides, that reluctance has real consequences.

As Fratticci said: “They don’t necessarily have that safety net of private tutoring or reading specialists outside of school, so when the classroom fails them, there’s no backup.”

New York made a promise with Back to Basics. But a law that allows districts to self-report compliance, without requiring proof of alignment or any consequence for non-compliance, is not a guarantee. It is an honor system. The Long Island Literacy Coalition will continue to advocate for enforcement mechanisms, transparent curriculum data, and the legislative priorities that will move New York from self-reported compliance to verifiable outcomes for every student. Read our full legislative priorities here.