Read LA!
Read LA! is a campaign to ensure that all of Los Angeles’ students can read and thrive.
Focused on reversing the decades-long literacy crisis in our city, our coalition of partners will build commitments from leaders throughout L.A. to elevate early literacy as a top priority. We will partner with LAUSD to ensure that all children receive effective literacy instruction, engage and equip families of young children to support their children’s literacy at home, and help address other barriers to children’s early literacy development. AND we will build a movement, led by parents, to advocate to state legislators to pass legislation to ensure that all literacy instruction in public schools is aligned to evidence-based practices and the science of reading.
Our Goal: By 2030, 70% of all students will read proficiently by the end of third grade.
Campaign Updates
On February 20, 2025, Assemblymember Blanca Rubio introduced AB 1121 (Rubio), a transformative early literacy bill that marks a significant step toward addressing California’s long-standing literacy crisis by ensuring that TK-5 teachers are trained on evidence-based literacy instruction and the State Board of Education adopts a new ELA/ELD instructional materials list that aligns with evidence-based means of teaching literacy.
Families In Schools is proud to co-sponsor this bill, along with Ed Voice, Decoding Dyslexia CA, and NAACP California-Hawaii State Conference.
Bright Spots in Los Angeles Report
Following our first report, Families In Schools’ groundbreaking report on the early literacy crisis shares the stories of “bright spots” and “districts to watch” in Los Angeles County that are making positive strides through literacy policies and practices grounded in research.
Campaign Launch Event
Families In Schools launched Read LA! on November 14, 2023, bringing together over 100 leaders, parents and students. LeVar Burton, actor, advocate and producer of the documentary The Right to Read, and LAUSD Superintendent Alberto Carvalho engaged in a conversation about what it will take to ensure all students are reading on grade level.
Other panelists included Dr. Karla Estrada, LAUSD Deputy Superintendent; Dr. Genesis Aguirre, Literacy Coach at Esperanza Elementary; Dr. Magaly Lavadenz, Center for Equity for English Learners at Loyola Marymount University; and Balbina Hernandez, parent at Esperanza Elementary.
Data
In 3rd grade, when reading proficiency highly influences future student success, too few LAUSD students are meeting reading standards. These challenges are not unique to LAUSD; reading proficiency across California is also too low.
Source: All reading data for LAUSD and California are based on 2022-23 California Assessment of Student Performance and Progress data. Link.
To get involved in the Read LA! Campaign, sign up here
Join us to ensure all children in Los Angeles learn to read and thrive.
Coalition Partners
