Kinser says adults now need to deal with Wisconsin’s literacy crisis

(The Center Square) – The woman who was almost Wisconsin’s state superintendent of schools says 2026 needs to be the year that the adults in charge of education in the state do their part to help children read.

Brittany Kinser, who lost the 2024 race for superintendent and now leads Kids Win Wisconsin, said 2026 starts the second year since Act 20 was supposed to overhaul how teachers teach kids how to read.

But, she said, it hasn’t.

“Nearly 100,000 early-grade students, or 36.8%, were identified as at risk for reading difficulties. In first grade alone, 47% of students fell below the reading benchmark,” Kinser wrote in her latest Kids Win Wisconsin newsletter.

She, however, doesn’t blame the kids.

“We know what works. When the science of reading is fully implemented early, children succeed. What’s left now is adult responsibility – following through on implementation, being honest about results, and restoring high academic standards,” Kinser told TCS.

Act 20 is suppo...