UW–Madison’s Chris Saldaña, an associate professor in the School of Education’s Department of Educational Leadership and Policy Analysis, is the host of NEPC Talks Education, a podcast produced by the National Education Policy Center (NEPC). In a recent episode, “The Role of School Boards in Democratic Governance,” Saldaña is joined by fellow School of Education faculty member Elena Aydarova for a conversation about the growing influence of the Science of Reading (SOR) movement on education policy in the United States.
Aydarova is an assistant professor in the Department of Educational Policy Studies. Her scholarship examines the intersection of educational policy, teacher preparation, and social inequality — particularly how global and national reform trends shape local practice.
In the episode, Aydarova draws a distinction between scientific research on reading and what she refers to as the “Science of Reading” movement — which, she notes, is often driven by corporate and political interests. “The time to act is now,” said Aydarova. “The urgency to reform is now, and I’m sharing this episode to say we actually don’t know what’s happening on the large scale. We don’t even often know what’s happening at the state level, but we continue pushing for reforms that lack a clear picture based on empirical evidence.”
She notes that SOR-related legislation has been passed in 39 states and warns of increasing privatization, standardization, and centralization of reading instruction. These laws often mandate assessments, proprietary interventions, and scripted curricula, which may create burdens for already underfunded districts.
“There are so many individuals who are impacted by what we’re talking about today — parents, families, kids, teachers, principals, you name it,” she said.
Looking ahead, Aydarova called for a renewed focus on participatory democracy in education: “In this critical moment, we need to be thinking about how to maintain participatory democracy. And participatory democracy means we are in this together and we have to think beyond ‘I.’ Yes, there are things that I, as an individual, might want, but we need to refocus our attention on common good, on solidarity with each other.”
She closed with a message for policymakers: “I just want to remind legislators that if we want to have public education in this country, our teachers deserve respect. Our teachers deserve autonomy, and our teachers long for the opportunity for their voices to be heard in policymaking processes.”
Listen to the full episode on the NEPC website.