Reading achievement grows when evidence-based practice extends beyond the school day. Family-implemented literacy interventions improve reading across the elementary grades (Sénéchal & Young, 2008; Dahl-Leonard et al., 2025), and strong home literacy environments support reading comprehension as children grow (Dong et al., 2020). States are putting this evidence into practice through policies and programs that bring skill-aligned materials and family support into the home, either broadly or by targeting students and schools with the greatest need.
Oklahoma, Iowa, and Wyoming Sending Evidence-Based Reading Practice Home at Scale
Oklahoma is embedding family literacy directly into its statewide reading system. The state expanded its Strong Readers Act with S.B. 1778 (2026) at a time when just 27 percent of its third graders read at or above grade level(Oklahoma House of Representatives, 2026). The law now allows districts to use their base literacy allocation for family literacy resources and engagement activities aligned with classroom instruction (S.B. 1778, 2026). It also creates the Strong Readers Revolving Fund, which accepts contributions from businesses, nonprofits, and tribal nations and allows donors to direct their gifts to a specific school, district, or region(S.B. 1778, 2026). Together, these provisions expand the ways literacy support can reach families through district spending and community investment.
Oklahoma is pairing this new policy framework with statewide implementation through a partnership with Just Right Reader, which will provide first-graders with three rounds of personalized books matched to their assessed skills, along with resources that help educators and families use them effectively.
Iowa invested more than $3.5 million in a statewide initiative to provide every first grader in its public, private, and charter schools with decodable books to take home and keep(Iowa Department of Education, 2024). This investment expanded on Iowa’s longstanding early-literacy framework, established through S.F. 2284 (2012) and updated through H.F. 2618 (2024). The program was designed to involve families in students’ reading development and to provide the practice materials caregivers need to reinforce classroom learning at home (Iowa Department of Education, 2024), both of which have been shown to accelerate reading achievement (de Bondt et al., 2020;Jimenez et al., 2025). In 2024, every first-grader received two packs of 10 decodable books through the state's partnership with Just Right Reader(Just Right Reader, n.d.-a).
Wyoming is pairing home reading support with long-term evidence building. The state's five-year, $24.45 million literacy grant supports evidence-based literacy resources and research on student outcomes(Wyoming Department of Education, n.d.). As a research and innovation partner in this grant, Just Right Reader is working with select schools to implement a model grounded in evidence that families can improve their children's reading outcomes with as little as 10 minutes of practice each day, if they are given the right support (Dahl-Leonard et al., 2025;Jimenez et al., 2025). Participating students will receive personalized books paired with Science of Reading games, while QR-linked video lessons and family literacy workshops provide caregivers with clear guidance on how best to use them. A longitudinal study embedded in the initiative will examine both reading outcomes and family engagement over time. All of this work is set to unfold as Wyoming implements a broader statewide framework under S.F. 59 (2026), which established the Wyoming Language and Literacy Program as a comprehensive K-12 system for literacy instruction, screening, intervention, and professional development.
South Carolina and North Carolina Providing Targeted Support to Schools Needing It Most
States are also using school-to-home reading programs to direct additional resources toward students and schools with the greatest needs. These programs feature individualized literacy instruction and practice materials, which have been shown to produce stronger reading outcomes than uniform or grade-leveled alternatives (Connor et al., 2013;Jimenez et al., 2025).
South Carolina's Innovation Grant program gives priority to high-poverty and low-achieving schools and to approaches with the potential to be replicated and scaled(South Carolina Department of Education, n.d.). Through an initiative funded by this program, districts are partnering with Just Right Reader to provide more than 6,000 first-graders with personalized decodable books, accompanied by resources that help teachers implement them in small-group instruction and help families facilitate continued practice at home. This targeted investment follows a broad revision of South Carolina’s Read to Succeed framework through S. 418 (2024), which aligned the state’s comprehensive reading program with the Science of Reading, structured literacy, and foundational reading skills. A research partner selected by the legislature will independently evaluate the project, allowing the state to examine student outcomes and implementation as it considers expanding beyond the participating districts.
North Carolina took a similar targeted approach in its 2026 budget. The General Assembly appropriated $500,000 for a first-grade literacy packet pilot in low-performing schools across Burke, Gaston, Johnston, New Hanover, Randolph, and Union County Schools(S.B. 257, 2026). The pilot adds a targeted layer to a broader statewide literacy system reshaped by the Excellent Public Schools Act of 2021, S.B. 387 (2021), which aligned Read to Achieve, educator preparation and training, and literacy instruction with the Science of Reading. Students will use personalized literacy packs from Just Right Reader in targeted small-group instruction at school before taking the same books home for continued practice. This program is intended to strengthen early literacy through targeted Science of Reading and phonics-based practice materials(EdNC, 2026). The statute also requires an independent evaluation by UNC-Chapel Hill's Office of Learning Research, giving the state evidence on student outcomes and implementation as it considers future expansion(S.B. 257, 2026).
New Mexico Maximizing Read-at-Home Plans with Individualized Practice Materials
Read-at-home plans are another way states extend literacy support beyond the school day, particularly for students identified with reading difficulties. Thirty-five states require Read-at-Home plans for at least some students(ExcelinEd, 2026). In most states, these requirements center on individualized guidance and activities for families, often supported by online resources. New Mexico's High-Quality Literacy Instruction Act, S.B. 37, goes further by requiring that plans be accompanied by take-home resources, including reading materials aligned with the Science of Reading and students’ individual needs, as well as guidance for families on how to use them(S.B. 37, 2026).
In support of statewide reading, New Mexico has extended its Read-at-Home provisions beyond students needing intervention alone for the 2026-27 school year. In partnership with Just Right Reader, the New Mexico Public Education Department is providing individualized read-at-home plans and personalized take-home materials to all students in grades K-3 at regular intervals throughout the year(New Mexico Public Education Department, 2026).
The state’s investment in literacy reaches early childhood as well. In fall 2025, a partnership between the Early Childhood Education and Care Department and the Public Education Department brought personalized decodable books to more than 11,000 PreK children and Board Books to almost 4,000 families participating in the state's home visiting programs(New Mexico Children's Cabinet, 2025). Together, these initiatives create a continuum of literacy support that begins before kindergarten and continues through the early elementary grades.
Just Right Reader Partnering with States to Support Evidence-Based Reading at Home
While these states vary in how they extend literacy support beyond the classroom, their approaches share a strong evidence-based foundation. Each one puts physical books into students' homes(de Bondt et al., 2020), matches instruction and practice to individual skill needs(Connor et al., 2013;Jimenez et al., 2025), and pairs student materials with supports for both teachers and families(Piper et al., 2018;Dahl-Leonard et al., 2025).
By partnering with Just Right Reader, states can bring these evidence-based elements together into a single coordinated model for effective reading at home. Iowa, Wyoming, Oklahoma, South Carolina, North Carolina, and New Mexico have each selected Just Right Reader’sTake-Everywhere Literacy Packs™to accelerate reading achievement among their students. Each pack is personalized using assessment data or teacher placement to keep practice aligned with students' current skills. Teachers introduce the books, skills, and routines during the school day using pre-made small groups, lesson plans, and professional development provided alongside packs, so students arrive home already familiar with how to use them. At home, families can continue the same routine with clear directions and QR-linked video lessons built into every book.
Together, these elements form a model that meets ESSA Level II evidence standards for both reading and family engagement(Evidence for ESSA, n.d.-a;n.d.-b). In the study that earned this recognition, kindergarteners using Take-Everywhere Literacy Packs™gained 10 points more on DIBELS than peers using other decodable books, which equates to approximately three additional weeks of reading growth,in just one semester (Jimenez et al., 2025).
As states continue to strengthen learning beyond the classroom, these partnerships show how reading at home can move from a recommendation for families to a coordinated, well-supported component of their strategies to accelerate reading achievement.
References
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