March 17, 2026
State Strategies
The state's Literacy Plan 2030 is a great way to help improve reading scores, but those teaching it need the right tools and support to make it work.
By Steve King and Jacqui Clay
Earlier this year, the Arizona State Board of Education took action to advance the priorities outlined in Arizona Literacy Plan 2030, which is a strategic initiative grounded in evidence-based instruction and structured literacy to boost Arizona’s lagging third grade reading scores. This commitment to improve early literacy, which emulates successful models from across the country, is now moving from vision to implementation across our state.
For example, in Yavapai County, we are moving forward with a focused effort rooted in helping kids get the basics they need to become proficient readers, supporting teachers as they strengthen foundational instruction in their classrooms. In Cochise County and throughout rural Arizona, educators are working to align instruction with the goals of Literacy Plan 2030 to promote consistency and quality in early literacy practices. These efforts reflect a shared understanding based on what research shows to be the most effective.
As this work continues, one lesson is clear. Student outcomes improve when teachers are supported with comprehensive training and coaching on the most effective approaches to reading instruction. Curriculum, standards, and assessments will not be enough — we also need professional development, like classroom mentoring, combined with literacy-specific coaching.
High-quality, job-embedded literacy coaching supports teachers as they translate evidence-based strategies into daily classroom practice. Coaches work alongside educators to refine instruction, examine student progress and build confidence in structured literacy approaches. In rural communities where geography can make access to professional learning more challenging, this kind of practical, classroom-centered support often represents students’ best shot to achieve proficiency. A deeper dive into almost any study on literacy coaching shows such overwhelming positive results that an investment in this program is simply common sense — not to mention the broad support strengthening early reading outcomes for Arizona students has across state.
We hope to see state leaders share our collective focus on improving literacy outcomes and understand that curriculum and training is only part of the solution. By investing in proven strategies like literacy coaching that gives educators the support they need, Arizona can continue moving forward toward our shared goal of ensuring that every child can read proficiently by the end of third grade, a moral imperative and one of the most important responsibilities we share as educators, policymakers, and community leaders.
As our state continues advancing Arizona Literacy Plan 2030, we believe that a targeted investment in this vision, through literacy coaching, will help accelerate the progress we are seeing in the schools in our districts. This funding would focus on strengthening classroom instruction and supporting teachers, rather than creating new mandates. Too often educators across the state, especially in rural communities, do not have access to the tools and support they need to sustain progress. Literacy is too critical for us not to speak up about the necessity of funding stability.
Jacqui Clay is the superintendent of schools in Cochise County. Steve King is the Yavapai County superintendent of schools.
