Entering a contentious debate over reading, Gov. Gavin Newsom proposes that districts base literacy instruction on decades of research known as “the science of reading” as the next step to getting all children reading by third grade. In budget language, Newsom is calling for literacy experts to create a “literacy road map” that would emphasize “explicit instruction in phonics, phonemic awareness, and other decoding skills” in the early grades. They are among the fundamental skills grounded in scientifically based research. The road map would signal to teachers, school boards and administrators that California will join other states favoring “structured” over “balanced” literacy and other approaches that spend little or no time on phonics. But unlike other states, California imposes no requirements on districts regarding how to teach reading. Each district can decide how and what to teach, even if they use ineffective strategies and curriculums that can set back whether a child learns to read. Children with undetected learning disabilities or who enter school with little exposure to reading are especially affected. The literacy road map wouldn’t change that hands-off approach and therefore won’t make much of a difference, critics argue, until the state puts its leverage and resources behind it. Heather Hough, executive director of PACE, a California university-based research nonprofit, agrees. “A road map can set a vision, but structures must be in place to ensure it is implemented by collecting data and holding people accountable,” she said.