5 Takeaways From a Discussion on the Science of Reading: From Research to Reading Joy
The Science of Reading is one of the most widely discussed topics in education, for good reason. States are shaping policy around it. District leaders are reexamining curriculum through that lens. Schools are working to align classroom practice with what research says about how students learn to read. But for all the attention the topic gets, the conversation far too often starts and ends with phonics.
In From Research to Reading Joy: Applying the Science of Reading to Engage and Inspire Learners, Dr. Erin Bailey of Reading Is Fundamental and Dr. Amy Dray of Edmentum brought the conversation to where it needs to be: Providing instruction that helps students make meaning, build confidence, and develop a lasting relationship with reading.
Here are some of our key takeaways:
1. Students need to build language, knowledge, and confidence to make sense of text
The Science of Reading is ultimately about helping students understand what they read. As Dray put it, educators cannot lose sight of comprehension while working through the many elements that sit under the Science of Reading umbrella.
When literacy conversations become too tightly focused on one component, schools risk overlooking the broader set of knowledge and skills students need to become strong readers. Vocabulary is a good example. It is easy to assume that if a student can pronounce a word correctly, they have successfully read it. But if they don't know what the word means, comprehension breaks down.
Bailey described seeing this firsthand as a classroom teacher. Her students could read the words on the page, but that didn't always mean they understood what they were reading. Explicit vocabulary instruction, she explained, became “the key that unlocked my students’ comprehension.”
2. Incorporate structure that is both explicit and systematic into reading instruction
Bailey advises schools to support instruction that is both explicit and systematic.
- Explicit instruction is structured, direct, and scaffolded, often using a gradual release model that moves from teacher modeling to guided practice to independent application.
- Systematic instruction builds from simple to more complex skills in a purposeful sequence.
Students shouldn't be left to piece foundational skills together by chance; effective reading instruction is planned. It gives students repeated opportunities to practice, and builds skills in a coherent way. It helps educators make sure students aren’t rushed into independence before they are ready.
However, an important nuance that can get lost when people hear the word explicit. Explicit instruction doesn't have to be rigid or scripted, said Dray. It’s intentional and responsive. Students know what is expected of them. Lessons are broken into manageable parts. Feedback is clear. Participation is central. Teachers respond to what students are doing in the moment. Done well, explicit instruction makes every student feel capable and included.
3. Productive engagement is about much more than reading duration
Reading joy isn’t just a nice add-on, they said. It’s how growth happens. Students aren’t all drawn to the same topics, and they shouldn’t have to be. If one student wants to read about butterflies and another wants to read about sports, both are engaging in meaningful reading. What’s important is that students begin to see themselves as readers—and when they can access texts that connect with their interests, reading doesn’t feel like a compliance exercise. That’s the joy.
Bailey and Dray pushed beyond the common practice of measuring engagement only by time, suggesting that better questions are not just about how long students spent on something, but what they actually accomplished. How far did they get? What skills did they master? What did they do while they were participating? Those questions create a fuller picture of whether a student is truly engaged in reading.
4. The Science of Reading should be a priority for students in all grade levels
The Science of Reading is often discussed in elementary terms, but it remains important as students move into middle or high school. Older students still need vocabulary support. They still need help making meaning from complex text. They still need structured opportunities to strengthen comprehension.
If the goal is helping students understand increasingly complex texts, then literacy support has to extend beyond the point when students can technically read the words on a page. It must include the ongoing work of building knowledge, language, and confidence across grade levels.
5. A culture of reading is built both in and out of the classroom
Bailey talked about the importance of building what Reading Is Fundamental calls a culture of reading in the home, one rooted in joy, access, and choice, and she shared a striking data point: Reading just one picture book to a child every day can increase that child’s exposure to vocabulary by about 78,000 words a year.
Literacy development is not confined to formal instruction. The language students hear, the books they can access, and the reading experiences they have outside school all shape their growth as readers. A culture of reading grows when literacy becomes part of daily life, not just part of an assignment.
Families don't need to turn their homes into classrooms to support literacy. They can do so by simply discussing everyday topics and helping children see how reading shows up in many forms throughout the day.
A Better Way to Think About the Science of Reading
Bailey and Dray made the case that strong literacy instruction draws on both research and reading joy. It's grounded in evidence. It's explicit and systematic. But it also leaves room for curiosity, relevance, and reading experiences that help students truly see themselves as readers. When educators hold onto both sides of that equation, they are better positioned to help students thrive.