The State Board of Education met in Lincoln on June 7, 2024. One important topic that has concerned parents, teachers, administrators, and taxpayers alike is reading instruction.
Nebraska Department of Education (NDE) staff is designing the system that will guide Nebraska schools and educator preparation programs in delivering evidence-based reading instruction.
This past spring the Nebraska Legislature passed LB 1284 which appropriated $1.8 million to provide current classroom teachers with additional training in high-quality core instruction that includes the concepts of phonics, phonemic awareness, fluency, vocabulary, and comprehension. NDE staff reallocated an additional $6 million from unused but previously designated federal pandemic relief funds to increase the training outreach of the regional literacy coaches. While the NDE has been offering these trainings on a smaller scale, the increase in funding will allow more teachers to be trained. In addition, as a result of the revisions to Rule 20 promulgated by the state board and recently signed into effect by Governor Pillen, educator preparation programs within the state will be required to train future teachers in this instructional model starting in the 2025-26 school year.
