This story was produced as part of ThreeSixty Journalism’s 2026 Capitol Reporting Workshop for Minnesota youth, with financial support from the Saint Paul & Minnesota Foundation.
For many, the ability to read is a fundamental, almost invisible skill. For Heather Edelson, however, the path to literacy was a steep, grueling climb. Growing up with dyslexia, Edelson spent years struggling to decode the symbols that others seemed to grasp with ease.
“I didn’t really read well until probably late middle school,” said Edelson, currently a Hennepin County commissioner and a former Minnesota state representative. “It was really challenging. You feel the gap between yourself and your peers widening every single day.”
Edelson’s personal struggle is not an outlier; it is a mirror reflecting a systemic crisis in Minnesota’s education system. Over the past decade, the state has witnessed a troubling decline in reading proficiency. According to data from Compass Education, literacy rates for third graders have plummeted from nearly 56% in 2013 to approximately 46% today. This downward trend has spurred a high-stakes legislative battle at the State Capitol, resulting in the creation of the READ Act—a landmark policy aimed at transforming how children are taught to read.
The Genesis of the READ Act
When Edelson was elected to the Minnesota House of Representatives in 2018, she brought her lived experience with dyslexia to the policymaking table. She quickly identified a critical flaw in the existing state mandate, known as “Read Well by Third Grade.”
The previous policy, she argued, was too narrow. It focused almost exclusively on a single milestone—reading proficiency by the end of third grade—rather than fostering a comprehensive, continuous literacy development model from the earliest years of schooling. To Edelson, literacy was not a “finish line” to be crossed in third grade; it was a developmental journey that required consistent, evidence-based support throughout a child’s educational career.
Following the 2022 midterm elections, which granted the DFL party full control of the state government, the political landscape shifted. Edelson joined forces with Sen. Erin Maye Quade, DFL-Apple Valley, to author the READ Act. The goal was to shift the state away from debunked reading methods and toward “structured literacy”—an approach rooted in the science of reading, emphasizing phonics, phonemic awareness, and systematic instruction.
However, the drafting process was not merely about methodology. Teachers raised concerns that existing curricula were not only ineffective but also culturally insensitive. Edelson noted that some instructional materials featured inaccurate and stereotypical depictions of African American and Native American children, further alienating students and failing to provide an inclusive learning environment.
From Legislation to Classroom Reality
In 2023, Gov. Tim Walz signed the inaugural READ Act into law. The legislation appropriated approximately $70 million to help school districts transition to evidence-based instruction and provided mandatory training for educators in structured literacy methods.
The implementation was swift but not without its growing pains. Recognizing that policy in the halls of the Capitol often hits obstacles on the classroom floor, Edelson and Maye Quade engaged in an ongoing feedback loop with teachers across the state. This led to the 2024 passage of an updated version, colloquially known as “READ Act 2.0.”
This revision provided a crucial infusion of additional funding, specifically earmarked for teacher training and coaching. For educators like Julie Cronin, a second-grade teacher in the Robbinsdale school district, the impact has been tangible. Cronin utilizes programs like Bridge to Read and LETRS (Language Essentials for Teachers of Reading and Spelling) to teach her students the mechanics of language.
“They get it. They get the rules,” Cronin said. By teaching students how to break apart complex words and decode sounds, she has observed a newfound confidence in her pupils.
Sen. Steve Cwodzinski, DFL-Eden Prairie and chair of the Senate Education Policy Committee, echoes this optimism. Through his frequent classroom visits, he has seen students mastering concepts that were once reserved for older students. “When we visit grade schools and you see the kids reading words that I didn’t know until I was in college, it’s kind of amazing,” Cwodzinski remarked. “It’s working.”
The Partisan Divide: The Debate Over Retention
Despite the successes touted by proponents of the READ Act, the legislation has become a flashpoint for partisan disagreement. Republican lawmakers, while acknowledging the need for better literacy outcomes, argue that the current law lacks necessary "teeth" to ensure students who fall behind are truly caught up.
Sens. Michael Holmstrom, Jordan Rasmusson, and Julia Coleman have spearheaded the “READ Act Interventions” proposal. The cornerstone of this bill is a controversial mandate: public schools would be required to create individualized learning plans for students failing to meet grade-level proficiency. Most contentiously, the bill suggests that schools should hold students back a grade—a practice known as retention—if it is deemed in the “student’s best interest.”
Holmstrom contends that the current system allows struggling students to be "socially promoted" into higher grades where the curriculum becomes progressively more difficult. He argues that without mastery of foundational skills, these students are destined for failure. “They’re not going to keep up if we let them,” Holmstrom said. He cited feedback from teachers who believe that, in some cases, students should have been held back but were allowed to progress due to administrative pressure or a lack of clear policy.
The Pedagogical Counter-Argument
The proposal to mandate retention has met fierce resistance from educators and policy experts who argue that the practice is often counterproductive. Mackenzie Mohen-VonAhnen, a teacher at Centennial Elementary in Richfield, argues that the research on grade retention is largely negative.
“That would be harmful for students, you know, like, mentally and socially,” Mohen-VonAhnen said. She emphasized that while interventions are necessary, the stigma and emotional toll of being held back can negatively impact a student’s long-term academic trajectory, often leading to higher dropout rates and decreased self-esteem.
Edelson, drawing on her own history, remains a staunch opponent of retention-based policies. Having been held back in third grade herself, she described the experience as a turning point that convinced her that "sitting in the same seat for a second year" is not the same as providing high-quality, targeted instruction.
“Retention is not an effective solution,” Edelson asserted. “It’s a punitive measure that doesn’t address the root cause of the reading difficulty.”
Implications for the Future of Minnesota Education
The ongoing debate at the Capitol serves as a microcosm of the broader political divide in Minnesota. With the Legislature currently operating under a slim margin of control, the likelihood of the “READ Act Interventions” bill passing remains low. However, the intensity of the debate underscores a shared, albeit differently prioritized, concern: the future of Minnesota’s children.
The state’s literacy crisis is a complex, multifaceted issue that cannot be solved by a single piece of legislation. It involves deep questions about teacher preparation, the efficacy of curricula, the role of cultural representation in textbooks, and the ethics of how we measure student success.
As Minnesota continues to refine its approach, the eyes of the nation are fixed on the North Star State. The shift toward evidence-based literacy instruction is a bold experiment. If the READ Act succeeds in closing the achievement gap and raising proficiency levels, it could serve as a national model for systemic educational reform. If it fails, or if it remains bogged down in partisan bickering over retention and mandates, the cost will be paid by the next generation of students.
For now, teachers like Cronin and students like those in her classroom represent the true, human face of this policy. The hope is that through structured literacy, the “gap” Edelson felt as a child will eventually close, ensuring that every child in Minnesota possesses the keys to unlock their potential through the simple, transformative power of reading.
As the legislative session continues, lawmakers on both sides of the aisle are left with a fundamental question: Should the focus remain on the rigorous, evidence-based training of teachers, or is it time to implement stricter accountability measures, even at the cost of social and emotional wellbeing? The answer will define the educational landscape for years to come.
