Former Sacramento teacher launches platform to combat national literacy crisis
By Peyton Headlee
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SACRAMENTO (KCRA) — A former Sacramento classroom teacher is tackling the nation’s literacy crisis. In 2020, Chandra Roughton founded Luminous Minds, an educational website and early learning platform.
The platform offers online resources for parents and teachers to improve children’s ability to read. It partners with districts and schools to support primary classroom and intervention teachers with supplemental reading and literacy resources.
Roughton hosts family literacy nights and workshops to empower parents with reading strategies and activities they can do at home.
Tyla Brown, a parent at Oak Hill Elementary in Antelope, attended one such event in January — seeking guidance on how to better teach her daughter to read.
“I learned a lot of activities that I never even thought of. I learned how to break it down in a fun way,” Brown said.
The platform aims to build foundational literacy skills at a time when national reading scores are falling short. Roughton addressed Congress in September at an informational session on the science of reading about the implications of low literacy rates.
“According to the most recent NAEP data, only 33% of fourth graders in the United States are reading at or above proficiency,” Roughton said in her testimony. “That means 67%, two out of every three children, aren’t.”
That’s why school districts like Center Joint Unified are investing in literacy initiatives.
“One of our districtwide focuses is literacy. And so how do we build that love of literacy, love of reading, and really help our parents with understanding how to help us and partner up with building those reading foundational skills,” Oak Hill Elementary Principal Parveen Saenz said.
Parents like Tyla Brown appreciate the support.
“They’re here because they genuinely want to help each kid grow. And I am just so grateful,” Brown said.
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