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As a child, I can remember sitting in my bedroom reading The Mouse and the Motorcycle by Beverly Cleary cover to cover.

As an elementary school principal for many years, I had seen children become increasingly frustrated because they were having difficulty reading the books they were being asked to read. At the time, we were using balanced literacy practices and had thought that, by giving students books to take home to read each night, they would eventually learn to enjoy reading.

I am happy to report that students are now proudly walking into school with a smile on their face and a novel under their arm.

At Panther Valley School District in Lansford, Pa., we recognized the urgency of the literacy crisis, but not before we had invested more than $100,000 in a balanced literacy curriculum. As I delved into research aligned with the science of reading, I realized we needed to pivot immediately.