Literacy Policy and Practice: What System Need to Get Right

Moderator: Maya Goodall
Presenter: Francesca Lopez

Policies meant to improve literacy often get lost in translation between intent and implementation. On paper, they promote “evidence-based reading.” In practice, they can become checklists that ignore the realities of language, culture, and identity. The result:

• Systems adopt mandates faster than they build capacity.
• Educators feel torn between compliance and connection.
• Multilingual learners — who should benefit most — can end up underserved because policy doesn’t account for how language, belonging, and identity intersect with literacy.

So the real problem isn’t the science of reading. It’s how systems interpret, resource, and apply it — especially in communities where bilingualism and cultural identity are central to learning.