House subcommittee hears witnesses push 'science of reading' and warn of federal funding cuts and vouchers

The House Education and Labor subcommittee on Early Childhood, Elementary, and Secondary Education convened a hearing on proven instruction for reading and math, hearing testimony that states and districts using research-backed methods have seen gains while witnesses and some members warned that proposed federal funding cuts and a new national voucher program could undercut progress.

The hearing opened with the committee chair arguing that ‘‘the reading wars are over’’ and that instruction should follow the ‘‘science of learning.’’ Louisiana State Superintendent Dr. Cade Brumley told the panel that Louisiana shifted to statewide, science-aligned reading instruction and other reforms and has seen marked gains: "On 2019's Nation's Report Card, the state of Louisiana ranked fiftieth in the country... Since then, Louisiana has led the entire country on 2 consecutive cycles of NAEP," Brumley said, adding that fourth-grade literacy moved from 50th to 16th in his account. Brumley credited a package of state policies — statewide screeners, training, third-grade promotion rules and what he called the "Let Teachers Teach" initiative — and emphasized parental choice and streamlined state control.

Chandra Bridal, founder and CEO of Luminous Minds, urged sustained professional development and classroom supports, saying, "The science of reading is not a…