NORTH CANTON, Ohio -Governor Mike DeWine highlighted ongoing concerns about reading proficiency in Ohio’s schools but expressed optimism about the impact of the “science of reading” teaching method. This approach focuses on teaching the sounds of letters before progressing to whole words, which has shown promising results according to educators. DeWine recently visited Walsh University, where education students have been trained in this method. He noted that teachers have reported significant improvements in student reading skills using this approach. Despite these advancements, about 40% of third graders in Ohio are still not proficient in reading, with particularly high rates of underachievement among Black and Hispanic students.
