Kindergarten students Gabby Kim, left, and Ellie Such answer questions on a literacy lesson during Julie Celestial's kindergarten class at Mark Twain Elementary School in Long Beach. For the record: 4 ...

As a teacher in Oakland, Calif., Kareem Weaver helped struggling fourth- and fifth-grade kids learn to read by using a very structured, phonics-based reading curriculum called Open Court. It worked ...

4:16 p.m. June 2, 2025: An earlier version of this report incorrectly said teaching phonics was new to Long Beach Unified. Some phonics has been taught in the district for years, but a new focus on ...