At some point over the past few pandemic years, many states pressed pause on one particular high-stakes, controversial piece of education policy: 3rd grade retention. But now, it’s back. The laws ...

As states pass laws requiring schools to follow the “science of reading,” one aspect of these policies has stirred up particular controversy: Holding back struggling readers who don’t reach ...

The Hechinger Report covers one topic: education. Sign up for our newsletters to have stories delivered to your inbox. Consider becoming a member to support our nonprofit journalism. As the ...

According to the 2023 report from the Education Policy Innovation Collaborative at Michigan State University, nearly 30% of third-graders do not know how to read at the appropriate grade level, even ...

Lori Robertson knew the stakes were high. Under a new Louisiana law, the third graders she taught this summer at J.B. Nachman Elementary School in Alexandria would have to pass a reading test or be ...

As many as 1,800 Alabama third graders will repeat the grade because they aren’t reading well enough to move on to fourth grade, state superintendent Eric Mackey said Thursday. It’s a pivotal moment ...

A third grade reading and retention law took effect for Tennessee public school children in 2023. Students must meet a state reading benchmark or take extra steps to avoid being held back. Three full ...

COLUMBUS, Ohio – A pandemic-related exception to the requirement that students repeat the third grade if they’re not reading proficiently ends with this academic year, and state lawmakers are ...

As Tennessee third graders sit for annual tests this week, lawmakers approved changes to the state’s retention law that could require as many as two-thirds of Tennessee third graders to attend ...

More than 4,000 third graders are in the mix as summer programming gets underway in Nashville and the widespread effects of Tennessee's controversial reading law unfold. Metro Nashville Public Schools ...

As the coronavirus pandemic ravaged communities and shuttered schools, many educators and parents worried about kindergarteners who were learning online. That concern now appears well-founded as we’re ...