In our New Year’s poll, NYC families named stronger literacy instruction as a top priority for 2026. Digging deeper for our follow-up poll, we asked about students’ struggles with reading and literacy.

A clear pattern emerged among the 200+ responses: Families want more inspiring and less screen-driven instruction. Across grade levels, three themes stood out:

  • Writing is a major challenge
  • Children are not engaged enough in reading
  • Families want more targeted support and clearer feedback

Grades K-8: What are your child's biggest struggles with reading and literacy? (193 answered)

  • Writing clearly and organizing ideas was selected by 37% of families as one of their top four concerns.
  • Little interest in reading came in second, chosen by 32%.
  • Spelling was a close third with 31%.
  • Avoiding reading (23%) and reading comprehension (21%) round out the top concerns.

Q1 literacy poll - c

Grades 9-12: What are your child's biggest struggles with reading and literacy? (97 answered)

  • Not reading whole books and little interest in reading tied for the top literacy struggles among high schoolers, each chosen by 17% of families as one of their top four concerns.
  • Writing structured essays and analyzing texts tied for second, each chosen by 15%.
  • Relying too much on AI tools rounds out the top five, selected by 9%.

Q2 literacy poll - B

Grades K-12: What resources and support do you believe would most help your child improve their literacy skills? (227 answered)

  • Small group instruction was the clear leader, chosen by 46% of families as one of their top three choices.
  • Tutoring and after-school help, and clear and regular feedback tied for second, each chosen by 34%.
  • Better teacher training came in third with 31%.
  • More access to books and digital content was fourth at 29%

Q3 literacy poll - B

What families are thinking

More than 100 respondents shared their insights too. As this poll asks about current challenges with literacy instruction, nearly all comments focused on areas that need improvement, though some families offered praise for part or all aspects of their children’s literacy education.

Here are some of the ideas they shared:

Curriculum and Instruction

  • Students, especially in middle and high school, need to read more whole books.
  • Phonics instruction in elementary school is fine, but the broader reading curriculum is not: no reading of complete books, lots of reading of short passages, and too many assignments that involve completing multiple choice questions that feel like test prep.
  • Storytelling, listening, interpreting, and discussing interpretations are not emphasized enough.
  • Instruction is geared to helping students who struggle the most and there’s not enough support or challenge for the rest.
  • More small group instruction based on the student’s skill level.
  • Not enough explicit writing instruction across grade levels.
  • There needs to be both structured and unstructured time for reading and discussion during class time.
  • Classroom libraries are too limited both in range of topics and reading levels.
  • Big disparity in quality of instruction across schools.

Reading Engagement

  • Children are bored with reading so many short passages. Offer them more varied options including whole books.
  • Children should have some choice in what they read to keep them engaged.
  • Offer weekly class visits to the school library to encourage children to pick books of interest.
  • Offer more reading materials that tackle current events and issues students find relevant to their lives.
  • Create space during class time for students to discuss what they’re reading.

Technology Impact

  • Too much screen time in school (looking at individual computers and classwide instruction using projectors and smartboards) shortens attention spans and makes for boring lessons.
  • Too much digital learning undermines development of thinking and writing skills.
  • Students are not learning to write legibly or edit because everything is computer based and there’s auto-correct.
  • It’s hard to limit children’s screen time at home when they have so much computer-based work.
  • Too much reading on screens causes eye strain and poor posture.

Tutoring and Specialized Support

  • Students in bilingual education should be provided all texts in English and their home language.
  • Schools need to provide better instructional support for students with disabilities.
  • More outreach to young parents to encourage them to read to their children daily.
  • Provide access to free resources at home (free reading apps and send children home with books)

What do you think is most needed to improve literacy instruction in NYC Public Schools?

Share your thoughts in the comments.