A startling reality is unfolding in Georgia’s classrooms, where nearly two-thirds of third-grade students are not reading at a proficient level, a statistic that signals a deep-seated educational crisis with long-term consequences for the state’s future. In response, Georgia lawmakers are championing the Georgia Early Literacy Act of 2026, a sweeping legislative proposal designed to fundamentally reshape how reading is taught in the state’s elementary schools. This comprehensive bill, known as House Bill 1193, has garnered significant bipartisan consensus and the backing of prominent state leaders. It aims to move beyond temporary fixes, proposing a systemic overhaul rooted in evidence-based instructional methods and the creation of a robust, in-school support network for both educators and their young students. The legislation represents a united front in the effort to ensure every child has the foundational skills necessary for academic success and lifelong learning.
The High Stakes of Third-Grade Proficiency
The intense focus on early elementary education stems from the well-documented importance of the third-grade year as a critical academic turning point. Educational experts widely recognize this age as the moment when the instructional focus pivots from “learning to read” to “reading to learn.” Students who have not mastered foundational reading skills by this juncture are at a severe disadvantage, as they struggle to comprehend increasingly complex material across all subjects, including science, history, and mathematics. This initial gap often widens over time, leaving these students progressively further behind their peers. The consequences of failing to achieve reading proficiency by this milestone are dire and extend far beyond the classroom. Research has consistently shown that children who cannot read proficiently by the end of third grade are four times more likely to drop out of high school, a sobering statistic that highlights the profound and lasting societal implications of the very problem House Bill 1193 is designed to solve. The legislation is therefore not just an educational reform, but a crucial intervention aimed at altering life trajectories for thousands of Georgia’s children.
The 41-page Georgia Early Literacy Act is anchored in the principles of the “science of reading,” a comprehensive body of research that draws upon decades of findings from neurology, linguistics, and cognitive psychology to inform the most effective methods for teaching reading. This evidence-based pedagogical framework will mandate sweeping changes to the way Georgia schools approach literacy from the very beginning. The bill outlines new protocols for screening students for reading difficulties, including dyslexia, and sets new standards for literacy instruction from kindergarten through the pivotal early elementary years. The proposed law has advanced with remarkable political momentum, having passed the House Education Committee with a unanimous vote. This strong consensus, coupled with the vocal support of key figures like House Speaker Jon Burns, indicates a high probability of its passage before the legislative session concludes on April 2. While specific provisions may undergo amendment as the bill moves through the legislative process, its core commitment to a scientifically-backed approach to literacy instruction remains the driving force behind this transformative effort.
Deploying a Statewide Network of Experts
A cornerstone of the Georgia Early Literacy Act is the ambitious plan to create and fund a statewide network of literacy coaches, positioning them as frontline experts within elementary schools. The legislation mandates state funding for every school with students from kindergarten to third grade to hire a dedicated literacy coach. Schools with an enrollment of over 200 students in this age group will receive full funding for one coach, while smaller schools will be allocated half of that amount. These coaches are not intended to be administrators but rather expert educators tasked with elevating the quality of reading instruction through direct collaboration with classroom teachers. Their duties will involve mentoring, co-teaching, and engaging in joint lesson planning to ensure that the principles of the science of reading are effectively implemented. The potential of this initiative is strongly supported by the results of a successful pilot program conducted by the Georgia Department of Education during the 2024-2025 school year. In that program, full-time literacy coaches were placed in 60 of the state’s lowest-performing schools, contributing to a significant 15% increase in student reading proficiency over a single academic year.
While the coaching model is promising, its statewide implementation presents a formidable logistical and financial challenge. The bill’s sponsor, House Education Chairman Chris Erwin, estimates that Georgia will need to recruit and hire approximately 1,300 literacy coaches to meet the bill’s requirements. This massive recruitment effort is complicated by the state’s existing shortage of educators, with over 5,000 certified teaching positions already vacant across Georgia. To address this hurdle, the bill strategically frames the literacy coach position as an attractive lateral career move for highly effective, experienced teachers, allowing them to retain their position on the state salary schedule. Furthermore, it empowers local school districts to supplement these state-funded salaries with their own funds to attract the most qualified candidates. To ensure a high standard of expertise, the legislation directs the Georgia Professional Standards Commission to establish a new “literacy coach endorsement” by the end of 2026. Prospective coaches must earn this endorsement, possess at least five years of successful classroom experience, and demonstrate expertise in scientifically based reading research, dyslexia-specific interventions, and data analysis. The bill also stipulates that these school-based coaches must dedicate a minimum of 70% of their workday to direct, in-classroom activities to maximize their impact on teaching and learning.
Building Leadership and Acknowledging External Factors
Beyond the individual school level, the Georgia Early Literacy Act establishes a tiered system of regional support designed to foster consistent, high-quality implementation across the state. Each of Georgia’s 16 Regional Educational Service Agencies (RESAs) will employ regional literacy coaches to provide assistance and professional development to local school systems. More critically, each region will also feature at least one “regional leadership literacy coach.” This specialized role is specifically designed to engage with and train school and district administrators, including principals and superintendents. Their duties will involve instructing these leaders on the core principles of effective literacy education and participating in joint classroom observations. This component is crucial, as it helps principals provide more targeted, informed, and constructive feedback to their teachers. This top-down approach recognizes a fundamental truth of educational reform: sustainable instructional change requires knowledgeable, supportive, and engaged leadership at every level of the system, from the superintendent’s office to the principal’s chair.
Expert analysis of the bill has been largely positive, particularly regarding its focus on coaches and leadership development, though some have raised valid concerns about its scope and the broader context of literacy. Caitlin Dooley, a professor at Georgia State University, praised the bill’s structure but pointed out a potential capacity issue. She noted that with only 16 regional leadership coaches proposed, each would be responsible for serving over 100 of the state’s 1,852 elementary schools, a caseload that could dilute their effectiveness. This reality, she suggests, will place an even greater emphasis on the vital collaborative relationship between the school-based coach and their principal in driving instructional improvement. Professor Dooley also introduced a critical perspective on the socio-economic factors that profoundly influence literacy outcomes. Citing research from the Georgia Department of Education that correlates approximately two-thirds of poor literacy rates with poverty, she argued that a truly comprehensive strategy must also include efforts to mitigate the effects of poverty, such as ensuring all children have reliable access to adequate nutrition and healthcare.
A Renewed Focus on Early Education and Intervention
The Georgia Early Literacy Act of 2026 also proposed significant changes to kindergarten policy, aiming to create a more consistent and supportive starting point for every child’s educational journey. While the bill encourages kindergarten attendance at age five, it did not alter the state’s mandatory school attendance age of six. A key provision sought to standardize kindergarten entry by requiring that all students attend kindergarten before enrolling in first grade, making an exception only for students who could demonstrate first-grade readiness through testing. This measure was intended to prevent the practice in some districts of placing six-year-olds directly into first grade without prior formal schooling, thereby preserving a degree of parental discretion while promoting foundational learning. The legislation also introduced a structured framework for early intervention. Under the bill, kindergarteners identified as being at significant risk of reading failure would be placed on a specific reading intervention plan. Parents would be formally notified of this risk and the possibility that their child may not be promoted to the first grade. The ultimate decision on promotion would rest with the school principal, though parents would be granted a process to appeal the decision, ensuring a structured, transparent, and communicative approach to addressing reading difficulties from the very beginning of a child’s formal education.
