POLICY AND PERCEPTION: INVESTIGATING NORTH CAROLINA’S READING POLICY, THE SCIENCE OF READING, AND TEACHERS’ INSTRUCTIONAL PRACTICES

Stephen Rayfield: Policy and Perception: Investigating North Carolina's Reading Policy, the Science of Reading, and Teachers’ Instructional Practices Literacy education policy in North Carolina has had many iterations over the last 30 years, and the rise of the most recent round of policies have taken their place in North Carolina 's education policy history. Following the pandemic, specifically 2021, N.C. has begun (through Senate Bill 387 / SL 2021-8) to take note of other States’ initiatives around the Science of Reading and programs that have engendered profound shifts in pedagogical approaches. In North Carolina, that is the convergence of the Science of Reading framework and the Language Essentials for Teachers of Reading and Spelling (LETRS). The ongoing discourse around how students learn to read has not suddenly been resolved or agreed upon; however, different conversations are happening now surrounding the efficacy of instructional methodologies. This study exists because of what we know from the history of an ever-changing education policy landscape in North Carolina and the critical need to investigate the practical implications of the commitment to policy that is grounded in the Science of Reading and the engagement with LETRS on teacher instruction and perceived student achievement. As such, this study endeavors to undertake an exploration of the interplay between the spread and diffusion of the Science of Reading, LETRS, and their impact within educational contexts through the lens of qualitative inquiry. This study will look into the Science of Reading and the Statewide implementation of the Language Essentials for Teachers of Reading and Spelling (LETRS) framework. Within the context of LETRS, the core of the Science of Reading will be further isolated to examine its impact on teacher instruction, school instructional practices, and broad student achievement within a sampling of North Carolina schools.