Gov. Hochul’s Visit to Albany School of Humanities Highlights Importance of Phonics Instruction and Scientific Reading for All Students

At the Albany School of Humanities, students in Deah Postiglion’s first-grade class had a special visitor during their small-group phonics instruction – Gov. Kathy Hochul! The governor visited the school to observe the City School District of Albany’s literacy instruction program in action and express her support for explicit phonics instruction and the science of reading. The district has been a leader in this area since 2016, with student results on ELA and reading benchmarks showing the effectiveness of this approach.

After the classroom visit, ASH fifth-grader Raylena Terrell and Superintendent Joseph Hochreiter joined Gov. Hochul for a news conference in the school’s library. Raylena shared her passion for reading and her dream of becoming a marine biologist, thanking the governor for her support of the science of reading for all students statewide. New York State United Teachers President Melinda Person also participated in the news conference, showing further support for this initiative.

Superintendent Hochreiter expressed gratitude to Gov. Hochul for highlighting the importance of literacy initiatives for the entire state at the Albany School of Humanities, a National NSEA Distinguished School. He emphasized the success of the science of reading in the district and thanked the governor for her leadership on this critical educational initiative for all of New York’s students.

Gov. Hochul took time to meet with teachers at ASH to learn more about their approach to literacy instruction and how it has helped improve student outcomes in recent years. She also spoke with parents about their role in supporting their children’s academic success and encouraged them to read with their children every day as part of New York’s Reading Is Fun initiative.

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