AFT Massachusetts Responds to Senate Literacy Education Bill (January 29, 2026)
AFT Massachusetts President Jessica Tang released the following statement in response to the debate in the Massachusetts Senate today on legislation regarding reading and literacy skills:
“As educators, we fully support evidence-based literacy curriculum. We also know that it will take more than just curriculum for our students to fully thrive as they progress from learning to read to reading to learn.
“Teaching students to read is one of the most important things we do. Literacy skills are foundational skills - ones that are crucial to supporting student development and long-term success. It is important that our school districts also have the support, resources, and staffing they need to successfully implement curriculum and instruction.
“The needs of our students vary from district to district, from school to school, even from desk to desk. Strong literacy instruction is responsive to the unique learning needs of individual students, which can be complex. The bill the Senate passed today underscores components of high quality curriculum while allowing educators to use the tools currently being utilized in the classroom that are proven to be impactful, particularly with our English language learners and students with special needs.
“We will continue to work with Legislative and state allies on this issue and will continue to advocate for appropriate reporting and tracking measures and for a proposal that ensures we do not limit access to successful, evidence-based resources because every student deserves to have the opportunity to succeed.”