Sen. DiDomenico addresses Mass Reads Coalition rally in support of ‘Right to Read’ Act

Gathering advocated for passing legislation to improve reading proficiency at schools

On September 16, 2025, the Mass Reads Coalition held a rally at the State House prior to testifying at a daylong hearing before the Legislature’s Joint Committee on Education in support of An Act promoting high-quality comprehensive literacy instruction in all Massachusetts schools. The Act would require school districts to adopt evidence-based literacy curricula to provide children with the tools necessary to develop into accomplished readers. The Act is sponsored by Senator Sal DiDomenico (D-Everett), Representative Danillo Sena (D-Acton) and Representative Simon Cataldo (D-Concord).

“We know what is being taught is not advantageous for all students,” Senator DiDomenico said. “We also know that if you cannot read at third grade level, it results in higher rates of dropouts, higher rates of incarceration and lower economic opportunities for our kids. If we know all that, why wouldn’t we want to make some changes in this area?”

The Mass Reads Coalition is a statewide coalition of educators, parents, literacy experts and policy advocates focused on ensuring all children can read on grade level in Massachusetts. The Coalition is supporting the Right to Read Act to help school districts provide high-quality, evidence-based curricula, effective teacher training and ongoing student screening to increase reading proficiency among elementary students to ensure their future success.

Reportedly, statistics have shown that only four out of every 10 Massachusetts third-graders are reading proficiently. For low-income students, those numbers are even worse: only two out of 10 third-graders are reading proficiently.

“This is not a failure of our students or teachers — it’s a failure of policy that has allowed

ineffective reading instruction to persist when we know exactly what works,” said MassPotential Executive Director Mary Tamer. “The passage of the Right to Read Act and providing districts with options to implement evidence-based strategies for teaching reading are desperately needed if we want to prepare our children for successful lives.”

Decades of research and peer-reviewed studies have shown that children learn to read through systematic, explicit instruction. Despite this, reportedly, only half of Massachusetts’ districts use these methods, with only one-third of students having access to high-quality instructional materials. What’s more, institutions of higher education in Massachusetts are not adequately preparing teachers to teach evidence-based literacy instruction.

Rep. Sena said, “We see that kids are falling behind. The gaps are there. This bill will help minimize those gaps. We ought to make sure we are giving the teachers and the students the tools that they need. We cannot wait any longer.”

Luisa Sparrow, who teaches fifth and sixth graders with intellectual disabilities at The Oliver Hazard Perry School in South Boston and is a Teach Plus and Teach for America alum, said that when she switched to evidence-based instruction she saw dramatic improvements in her students’ reading ability. “Literacy is a fundamental right and every child can learn to read with the right instruction,” Sparrow said. “Children deserve this opportunity and teachers deserve the tools to deliver this type of instruction.”