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Marion Joseph dedicated her life to improving the reading skills of California’s youth through phonics instruction. Her advocacy has continued to impact many Californian students, even after her passing last year. Joseph’s dedication to phonics instruction has brought it to the forefront of the California state’s favored method of overcoming their literacy crisis.
California’s literacy crisis was underscored during the pandemic when it became clear that many elementary school students lacked effective reading skills. Prior to the pandemic, fewer than 50% of the state’s third-graders had the expected reading level for their age. After school closures and haphazard Zoom classes, that number dropped to 42%. This literacy crisis can, in part, be attributed to the “whole language” approach to reading instruction imposed on many students.
Joseph was one of the most fierce advocates for phonics instruction, a method that stresses fundamental instruction in the letters and letter combinations that make up sounds. This approach allows children to sound out words, allowing them to eventually read whole sentences and passages. After discovering her granddaughter was struggling with reading, Joseph became a tireless advocate for phonics and continuously lobbied state officials until she was appointed to the California state board of education.
Joseph’s advocacy has prompted state officials to prioritize phonics instruction, now dubbed as the “science of reading.” Governor Gavin Newsom, who has struggled with dyslexia and has a strong interest in improving reading skills, has become one of phonics’ most significant champions. His proposed 2023-24 state budget includes a $1 million appropriation to the Department of Education, creating a “Literacy Roadmap” aimed at improving reading and other language skills using evidence-based literacy instruction.
The advocacy of education research and advocacy leaders echoes Joseph’s call for more targeted instruction in basic reading skills, which includes phonics.
Joseph was recognized in 2005 for her relentless advocacy of phonics, and her legacy continues to impact millions of California schoolchildren who struggle with reading comprehension. Despite not being alive to see it, Joseph’s long struggle appears to be paying off, with phonics becoming the preferred method of reading instruction, and the state looking to create a more evidence-based approach towards teaching reading.
