Overview:
The House passed the bipartisan Science of Reading Act (H.R. 7890) to prioritize evidence-based literacy instruction and ban “three-cueing,” alongside a parallel effort, the READ Act, to require states to adopt similar reforms.
The U.S. House of Representatives has passed the Science of Reading Act of 2026 (H.R. 7890), a bipartisan bill that would reorient federal literacy funding toward reading instruction grounded in the “science of reading” — and explicitly bar an alternative approach known as three-cueing from any instruction supported by that funding.
The bill now heads to the Senate, where a related measure, the READ Act (S. 4689), has already advanced through committee, giving the effort momentum on both sides of the Capitol.
What the Bill Does
At the center of the legislation is the Comprehensive Literacy State Development (CLSD) grant program, a $194 million federal funding stream. The bill requires the U.S. Department of Education and state agencies administering CLSD dollars to prioritize applicants that implement evidence-based reading activities aligned with the science of reading, rather than leaving states and districts free to fund a wider range of instructional philosophies .
The bill also draws a hard line against “three-cueing,” an instructional method that teaches children to guess unfamiliar words using context clues and pictures alongside letters, rather than decoding them phonetically. Under H.R. 7890, that approach would be legally excluded from any instruction funded through the grant program (GovTrack).
In its place, the legislation codifies a framework built around the core, research-backed pillars of literacy instruction: phonemic awareness, phonics, fluency, vocabulary, comprehension, and writing.
Bipartisan Backing, Rooted in State Results
The bill was introduced by Rep. Erin Houchin (R-IN-09) and advanced with support from members on both sides of the aisle, including Rep. John Mannion (D-NY-22), a former teacher, and House Education & Workforce Committee Chairman Tim Walberg (R-MI-05).
“Reading is the foundation of learning, and we cannot accept declining literacy rates as the status quo,” Houchin said. “The Science of Reading Act will equip classrooms with proven methods to ensure every student can read. Indiana has shown that the Science of Reading works, and I’m proud to see this important legislation pass the House.”
Walberg framed the bill as a course correction after years of mixed instructional approaches in American classrooms. “It’s time to move away from failed theories and restore evidence-based reading instruction that actually works,” he said. “Our children deserve an education grounded in what the evidence tells us, not the latest educational fad.”
Rep. Kevin Kiley (I-CA-03), chair of the K-12 Education Subcommittee, said the bipartisan support reflected how central the issue is to student outcomes. Kiley left the Republican Party to register as an independent in March 2026, though he continues to caucus with House Republicans. “Perhaps nothing is more vital to a child’s academic success than receiving proper literacy instruction from an early age,” Kiley said.
Mannion, a nearly three-decade classroom veteran, cast the vote as evidence Congress can still find common ground on education policy. “The Science of Reading Act gives teachers and students access to proven, evidence-based approaches that help kids become stronger readers,” he said. “I’m proud that Republicans and Democrats came together to pass this legislation and move us one step closer to improving reading outcomes for students in NY-22 and across the country.”
The Reading League: “A Monumental Step”
The Reading League (TRL), a Syracuse, N.Y.-based nonprofit focused on reading science, also praised the bill’s passage. In a statement issued Sept. 18, 2026, TRL said H.R. 7890 would strengthen federally funded literacy instruction by prioritizing practices aligned with the science of reading — including recognizing the role of oral language, background knowledge, and the connection between reading and writing — while discouraging approaches such as three-cueing that aren’t backed by scientific evidence.
“The passage of H.R. 7890 is a monumental step toward ensuring federal literacy investments reflect the extensive research on how children learn to read,” said Dr. Maria Murray, president and CEO of The Reading League. “As this work continues, we must back this legislation with high-quality instructional materials, sustained coaching, and meaningful professional learning for the educators doing this critical work in classrooms every day.”
The Backdrop: A “Quiet Crisis”
The bill’s sponsors describe it as a response to nearly a decade of declining literacy scores among American schoolchildren — a trend they characterize as a “quiet crisis” with long-term economic, social and behavioral consequences for students and their communities. The science of reading, the body of research the bill codifies into federal grant policy, emphasizes phonemic awareness, phonics, fluency, vocabulary and comprehension as the pillars of effective instruction.
A Companion Push: The READ Act
While H.R. 7890 was moving through the House, a related bipartisan effort was advancing on a second track. Rep. Josh Harder (D-CA-09) introduced the Reading Excellence and Achievement for Development (READ) Act, a House companion to Senate legislation of the same name, with a bipartisan slate of original cosponsors: Reps. Erin Houchin (IN-09), Lucy McBath (D-GA-06), Kevin Kiley (I-CA-03), Suzanne Bonamici (D-OR-01) and Burgess Owens (R-UT-04).
Harder framed the bill as an effort to restore federal leadership on literacy after years of stagnation. “Washington used to believe that improving school was both important and possible, but after years of paralysis, our kids have been paying the price in lower reading scores and worse education outcomes,” Harder said. “The good news is that states have already proven that evidence-based reforms can reverse years of learning losses. The READ Act is a critical step towards reinvigorating federal leadership in education and accelerating solutions to our nationwide literacy crisis — we can’t let any more time go to waste.”
The READ Act goes further than H.R. 7890 in some respects, requiring states that receive federal literacy grants to adopt science-of-reading reforms already proven successful elsewhere. Its provisions include:
- Science of Reading Investments: Unlocks additional Comprehensive Literacy State Development (CLSD) grant funding for states struggling with student literacy, alongside incentives for literacy coaching and high-quality instructional materials.
- Accountability: Requires states receiving funding to conduct universal early literacy screening and teacher preparation program evaluations, while developing comprehensive literacy instruction plans.
- Student Interventions: Requires states to notify families when students are struggling, with a particular emphasis on dyslexia identification and intervention.
- Better Research: Protects and strengthens literacy research capacity through comprehensive centers and the Institute of Education Sciences (IES).
The bill has drawn support from a broad coalition of education and disability advocacy groups, including the National Parents Union, the American Federation of Teachers, the National Association of Elementary School Principals, the National Association of School Psychologists, the Council of Administrators of Special Education, the National Center for Learning Disabilities, The Arc, Families in Schools, and Educators for Excellence.
Companion legislation in the Senate has already advanced out of the Senate Health, Education, Labor, and Pensions (HELP) Committee with broad bipartisan support, giving the READ Act momentum in both chambers alongside H.R. 7890.
Harder, one of the youngest working parents in Congress, has also led efforts to restore the National Reading Panel, increase funding for comprehensive state literacy grants, and streamline federal education research programs.
What’s Next
Having passed the House, H.R. 7890 now moves to the Senate. With the READ Act also advancing on parallel tracks in both chambers, advocacy groups tracking literacy legislation have pointed to the alignment between the two efforts as a sign of “bipartisan momentum” heading into further Senate action (ALI Coalition). Whether the two bills are reconciled, taken up separately, or merged into a single legislative vehicle remains to be seen.
