Hailey Burke, left, an eighth-grade student at Spearville Middle School, Spearville USD 381, and her mother, Dawn Burke, an instructional coach at Dodge City Middle School, Dodge City USD 443, spoke during Literacy Day at the Capitol on Jan. 20, about how Hailey improved her reading skills.

Hailey Burke wasn’t confident in her reading skills. So much so, she often withdrew from her teachers and couldn’t articulate that she was struggling to read. 

“The one thing that I regret not doing is not asking my teachers for help,” said the eighth-grader at Spearville Middle School, Spearville USD 381. “I got really scared to ask them for help. I just needed to overcome it and just ask them.” 

That was until Hailey opened up to her mother, Dawn Burke, an instructional coach at Dodge City Middle School, Dodge City USD 443. The two began working on phonics and Hailey’s self-advocacy skills. 

“She hides the realities of her dyslexia from her teachers,” Dawn said. “What I’ve noticed and with a lot of families I’ve worked with is that parents see that struggle at home more real than what teachers ever see in the classroom.” 

“Partnering with those parents, believing what they’re saying and bringing (those issues) to the table,” Dawn continued, “that’s a huge key piece in moving forward towards accessing their literacy development.”  

Dawn and Hailey spoke together in front of dozens of educators, advocates, lawmakers and others this week during Literacy Day at the Capitol, in Topeka.  

“We have to have a sense of urgency that any student that struggles to read is one too many,” Kansas Education Commissioner Dr. Randy Watson told attendees. “As we do that, we have to raise our expectations that students can learn grade level material.”  

Watson was one of several speakers who brought awareness to the impact literacy has on graduation and postsecondary success, potential future earnings, the state’s economy and a person’s confidence throughout their lifetime.  

Many of the speakers were teachers who described seeing a struggling reader blossom with the right instructional supports and the importance of making the investment in Kansas teachers to get trained in the science of reading.  

Since 2018, the Kansas State Board of Education has aligned Kansas literacy initiatives to the science of reading and structured literacy along with the implementation of the Legislative Task Force on Dyslexia’s report. Structured literacy is also one of the Four Fundamentals of the school improvement model used for accreditation approved by State Board members in 2024. That same year, board members adopted the Kansas Education Framework for Literacy and the State Board’s position statement requiring all accredited schools to use evidence-based methodology fully aligned with the science of reading when providing literacy instruction.  

“We’re working to provide support and training for our educators that will continue to bring about mindset shifts, shifts that give clarity to this work, reinvigorating all of us so that the work can and will continue to move into the classrooms of Kansas for every student,” Cathy Hopkins, chair of the Kansas State Board of Education, said during the literacy day event.  

Kansas Gov. Laura Kelly was the day’s keynote speaker. She emphasized the ongoing work and financial investment from the Kansas Legislature that is needed to increase the reading success of Kansas children. 

“We are empowering our educators to understand the science of reading, apply structured literacy, and use assessment tools to address the individual needs of each student,” Gov. Kelly told the crowd. “In turn, we're empowering our students to flourish.” 

The State Board has invested an estimated $25 million of federal ESSER funds in structured literacy training and has adopted Seal of Literacy licensure requirements for Kansas educators and administrators, mainly at the elementary level. The State Board and the Kansas State Department of Education have also been significant partners of the Kansas Board of Regents’ Blueprint for Literacy established by SB 438 in 2024.