New Report Offers Unprecedented Insights Into NYC Reads Initiative 

Hundreds of educators shed light on the city’s signature literacy initiative in a new report, Reading Between the Lines: Teacher Perspective on NYC Reads Implementation

NEW YORK CITY – Educators for Excellence-New York (E4E-NY) today released a report, Reading Between the Lines: Teacher Perspective on NYC Reads Implementation, capturing survey data from hundreds of educators 18 months into the initiative’s rollout. The report offers new insights into the city’s ambitious curricular shift as NYC Public Schools Chancellor Melissa Aviles-Ramos braces for her first full year of leadership. It also comes after NYC Public Schools and union leadership recently committed to refining NYC Reads implementation through educator feedback while also maintaining curriculum integrity. 

Based on surveys and focus groups with over 200 New York City educators, the report highlights promising early outcomes for NYC Reads while identifying areas where additional support is needed to ensure its long-term success. 

“NYC Reads is a bold step toward addressing decades of inequities in literacy instruction, and our report underscores the importance of staying steadfast in our commitment to this initiative, as the vast majority of teachers have expressed positive perceptions thus far,” said Marielys Divanne, Executive Director of E4E-NY. “We are encouraged by the meaningful steps city leadership has already taken to engage educators in this shift and urge them to build on this momentum by using the report’s insights to guide future improvements and consider expansion to additional grade levels.”

The report surveyed educators to understand their confidence in the curriculum’s effectiveness and their ability to implement it successfully. Findings reveal that teachers in phase 1 of NYC Reads have a notably more positive perception of their instructional materials and feel more confident in using them compared to their phase 2 counterparts. These differences highlight the potential benefits of longer exposure and training with the new curriculum, emphasizing the need for sustained support and investment in NYC Reads.

“The report shows why we need city leaders to give NYC Reads time, and give educators the opportunity and grace for continuous learning,” said April Rose, a New York City elementary school teacher. “There’s no such thing as a quick fix in education because confidence and satisfaction in the curriculum grows with time and support to work through the materials. Having a head start gave me more time to collaborate with peers, engage in training, and work through the curriculum’s challenges.”

The report also found that teachers who participate in more effective professional learning experiences have more positive perceptions of their materials, more confidence in implementing them, and less need for supplementary materials – all emphasizing the need for sustained implementation support. Though most teachers report that their district has supported them in implementing their new materials and providing curriculum-aligned professional learning, the effectiveness of it varies and more coaching and peer collaboration time is needed.

“The combination of coaching, district professional learning, and peer collaboration that I’ve received has helped me engage my students more effectively,” said Erica Boyce, a New York City elementary school teacher. “We need to ensure more educators have this kind of experience by building capacity among teachers to lead professional learning in their own school communities and create more space for peer collaboration. I’ve witnessed the benefits of this approach.”

While there are many bright spots with the implementation of NYC Reads, the report shows that one of the biggest challenges educators face involves supporting the needs of diverse learners. Large numbers of teachers – especially those teaching students with disabilities and those teaching English language learners – report the need to supplement their curriculum. Educators whose students struggle with comprehension of the curriculum are particularly likely to do so. 

“Educators would benefit from more time to learn and grow with the curriculum,” said Kate Gutwillig, a New York City elementary school teacher. “We must also adjust professional learning to meet the needs of the teachers in their classrooms if we seek to better support diverse learners.”

To read the full report, please visit nyclearns.org/nyc-reads.

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About Educators for Excellence

Founded by public school teachers, Educators for Excellence is a growing movement of more than 35,000 educators, united around a common set of values and principles for improving student learning and elevating the teaching profession. We work together to identify issues that impact our schools, create solutions to these challenges, and advocate for policies and programs that give all students access to a quality education.