Since the passage of the READ Act in May 2023, school districts across Minnesota have been offering professional development (PD) to teachers and instructional support staff who are responsible for teaching reading. This PD provides training on evidence-based instruction and ensures that educators stay current with the evolving science of reading research and structured literacy practices.

Here at Sauer Family Foundation, we celebrate all the educators who have put their energies into adopting methods that are proven successful for our emerging readers – including those students who have symptoms of dyslexia. When our team attends school site visits, we see classrooms of engaged students feeling confident and successful as they decode text, deepen their comprehension skills and make significant progress.

This is a time of systems change for our educators, students and their families. As schools and districts pivot to evidence-based instruction and show clear impact, it’s critical we think about where in the broader system we can make change for long-term success. One way is for teacher preparation programs to include the knowledge and skills required for educators to deliver evidence-based reading instruction.

Sauer Family Foundation is proud to support Minnesota’s participation in The Path Forward, a cohort model to support states in their efforts to transform teacher preparation and teacher licensure programs to include the science of reading.

The MN team has representatives from the Department of Education, the Professional Educator Licensing & Standards Board, The University of MN, Parent Advocacy groups and Community Partners. Last week they hosted a summit for their peer States on The Path Forward journey. The sessions included expert panels on preparing new teachers, shared ownership of reading outcomes and how to support struggling readers at the middle & high school level.

Studies show that it can take seventeen years for research to transform into practice. Cross-sector collaborations like The Path Forward can shorten that timeframe by bringing diverse stakeholders together to find practical and scalable solutions.

This type of grant-making can seem quite distant from the population we hope to serve, it will be many years before a first-year education major leads their first classroom. It is also critical to include this type of funding in our portfolio. Investments made in up-stream changes will give our future educators the tools they need to support emerging readers on day one.

– Emma