**Oakland Unified School District. (2021). TK–5 Language and Literacy Framework. https://docs.google.com/document/d/10lcL9PItdYsdd8TBjlf42P2rKf-SwSfImHHpVr-N2Mg/edit
We highly recommend reading Oakland Unified School District’s (OUSD) framework for language and literacy instruction prior to Meeting 52. It lays out the key motivations and components behind OUSD’s vision for culturally responsive and inquiry-grounded instruction, and the necessity to focus on both literacy and language development. To learn more about OUSD’s goal of “Ensuring Strong Readers by the Third Grade”, one of their four strategic plan initiatives, you may want to review OUSD’s strategic plan at https://www.ousd.org/about-us/strategic-plan.
D’Souza, K. (2023, August 17). California’s literacy crisis: There’s more to the science of reading than phonics. EdSource. https://edsource.org/2023/why-theres-more-to-the-science-of-reading-than-phonics.
Many educators and parents have heard of the debate between “balanced literacy” and the “science of reading.” This article briefly outlines each side of that debate but also explores other relevant issues (for example, whether new teachers are adequately prepared to teach reading and how technology may change teaching and learning). We recommend this piece to get a broader view of issues related to literacy beyond the debate about how to teach it.
**This document is a priority reading.