“Access to skills” and “basic exercise of other fundamental rights and liberties” contain no clear definition for state or local leaders but, using the principles of the National Reading panel (2000), the Common Core State Standards (2010), and the recent adoption of the revised State Learning Results (2020), at minimum, students have the rights to essential decoding skills, including phonics instruction, rich vocabulary learning, and the ability to comprehend text at a literal and inferential level, in addition to the ability to interpret text or use text successfully to convey a message or defend points, necessary for participation in a democracy (Beers and Probst, 2021).
As required within the Common Core State Standards, students must engage in wide and voluminous reading. Wide reading is the experience with text across multiple genres and purposes. Voluminous reading is the responsibility to read a large number of books for a purpose and within suitable time frames. Both forms of reading can be inclusive of an individual’s interests and preferences, including the obligation of introducing readers to new topics, interests, and diverse perspectives. Further, each definition of reading is necessary to prepare students for certain vocational careers, military advancement, and adaptations to the rigors of university-level coursework, in addition to the pleasure of reading.
Since 2015, a rural northeast school endured several changes that included Competency-Based Learning, Reading First, and other school curriculum initiatives which negatively impacted achievement results. Many of the initiatives excluded teachers from policy decisions, which may have negatively impacted the outcomes (Barone, 2013; Reeves, 2016).
For the 2020-2021 school year, the school published a report indicating that 50% of the student population received “Free or Reduced” hot lunch. The report also stated that 36% of the student population received special education services, disproportionate to the state average of 15%. Since 2016, roughly 50-55% of the school’s graduates opted for military or post-secondary education (See Table 1).