Editor’s note: This essay is an entry in Fordham’s 2025 Wonkathon, which asked contributors to answer this question: “What needs to happen next—at the state, district, and school levels—for the science of reading revolution to fulfill its promise and ensure that far more children learn to read well?” Learn more.
Is joy the missing ingredient?
What if the secret to stronger literacy outcomes was keeping kids happily engaged, using their natural curiosity and playfulness to build foundational skills? The science of reading gives us the structure, but joy is the spark. As neurologist Judy Willis explains, ‘When students are engaged and enjoying themselves, dopamine is released, which increases motivation and builds stronger memory pathways.
Teachers know that play is essential to early learning. In a global survey by the LEGO Foundation and Boston College, 97 percet of educators agreed it supports development, yet only 17 percent felt they had time and support to use it meaningfully.
As a former teacher of third graders and, most recently, kindergarteners, I’ve seen firsthand how mandated curricula, tedious documentation, and relentless state testing have drained joy from classrooms. Now, in my role as an education consultant, I hear the same frustrations nationwide, and we all agree: It’s time to make play a priority.
Less testing, more teaching
Playtime is often the first casualty of policy decisions. However, stronger literacy outcomes emerge when curiosity and play drive learning, supported by the science of reading. The push for accountability too often translates into more time testing at the expense of purposeful play. States must set clear standards and provide proper funding while trusting the knowledge teachers have built through extensive science of reading training. Since Covid, classrooms have changed. Student behaviors are more challenging, and teachers are struggling under the weight of mandates and assessments. What they do not need is another layer of oversight that questions their expertise.
Districts can show accountability without piling on standardized assessments that drain time and energy. States should trust teachers to use formative assessments that guide instruction in real time. Proper funding should prioritize resources teachers know work, not massive curriculum adoptions that promise the world but fall short in practice.
I challenge policymakers to step into an early childhood classroom, for more than a photo-op or storytime. Drop in to volunteer often, with no pomp and circumstance. Only then can they witness the resilience, creativity, and love that teachers bring to the unbelievably demanding task of educating our future. Teacher burnout is real. We need understanding that leads to better legislation that positively impacts the future.
Clear the clutter, listen to teachers
When states focus on testing, districts must comply or lose funding. Districts do their best with the resources available, but more can be done to empower teachers. To support teachers, districts must protect literacy blocks as sacred instructional time, reduce redundant documentation, and prioritize smaller teacher-student ratios by ensuring that coaches and specialists work alongside classroom teachers, not just central offices. Teachers should have the autonomy to choose evidence-aligned materials they actually want to use. Give teachers access to ongoing professional development and the time and compensation to complete it. Provide practical assessment tools that deliver real-time data without increasing teacher workload. Teachers would love more family support. District initiatives could provide simple parent guides, workshops, and take-home activities to help create family engagement in learning. When districts listen to teachers and align resources with classroom realities, literacy reform becomes not just possible but powerful.
Where policy meets practice
Policy sets the stage, but it’s in classrooms where literacy either comes alive with play or gets buried under mandates. Even with the proper district support, the true test of the science of reading happens in schools. It’s at the campus level where policy meets practice, and where leadership can make or break implementation.
The strongest campuses have leaders who are visible in classrooms. They are there to support, protecting instructional time from distractions, not to critique. Jump on social media, and you will find Principals like Gerry Brooks (@gerrybrooksprin), Jared Lamb (@principal_lamb), Principal Mo (@principal_mo), and others reminding us that leadership is not about micromanaging; it’s about creating conditions where teachers feel trusted, valued, and equipped to succeed.
When administrators really listen, provide feedback, take action, and celebrate small wins, fidelity to the science of reading stops feeling like compliance and becomes a common goal.
Begin early, ensure equity
Ages 0–5 are the most critical years for brain development and language growth. As the National Scientific Council on the Developing Child at Harvard notes, “Positive early experiences, including joyful interactions, shape brain architecture by strengthening neural connections critical for learning and development.” Yet too many children, especially in underserved communities, enter school without strong foundations.
Playful, multisensory experiences at home or in childcare build language, print awareness, and confidence. Families are essential partners, but they cannot shoulder this alone. States must fund early literacy programs that expand access to high‑quality pre‑K, provide families with resources, and ensure every child, regardless of zip code, arrives at school with more than just a chance to succeed. By beginning early and sustaining support through the primary grades, we can ensure that all children start their education journey with strong foundations and genuine excitement for learning.
And this responsibility doesn’t rest solely on schools and families. Communities, including corporations and small businesses, have a stake in literacy. The workforce they will depend on tomorrow is being shaped in classrooms and childcare centers today.
When literacy feels like play
That playful foundation shouldn’t stop at the school door. The same curiosity and engagement in early learning must be sustained in classrooms. In my kindergarten classroom, I used Letters alive, an interactive program that blends augmented reality with literacy instruction, and watched authentic engagement unfold. The dynamics of the room shifted with the introduction of a 3D zoo animal named Sergio Seal. Cheers erupted, and attention was captured. Students encouraged one another, patiently waiting for their turn to interact with the animals and leaning into the experience together. They were learning fascinating facts about animals while building background knowledge, expanding vocabulary, and actively using language to share experiences. The room was filled with conversation and discussion, not boredom and disengagement.
This classroom moment reflects what researcher Sayan Maitra highlighted in his 2024 study, The Influence of Interactive Digital Tools on Early Childhood Learning and Cognitive Development: “Interactive digital tools foster engagement, problem‑solving, and early literacy development by offering personalized pathways and sparking curiosity.” Programs like Letters alive show how meaningful, evidence‑based resources, whether apps, e‑books, or augmented reality tools, can elevate Tier 1 instruction into a fun and interactive adventure rather than a chore.
The future depends on joy
It’s a fact that joyful engagement strengthens memory and motivation, and I’ve seen it firsthand in my classroom experience. If we want literacy reform to last, we must invest in programs that foster joy. That means reimagining early learning not as a race to meet benchmarks but as a joyful journey fueled by curiosity, connection, and trust. Stronger literacy outcomes begin when we trust teachers, prioritize play, and reimagine early learning as a joyful, curiosity-driven journey. So let’s fund what works and listen to educators who masterfully create classrooms where curiosity thrives and literacy grows. The future of reading and our communities depends on whether we choose to protect and prioritize joy in every classroom.
