April 27, 2025 • 11 mins
In this episode, we dive deep into Senate Bill 93 (SB 93), the groundbreaking legislation awaiting Governor Brian Kemp’s signature that could change the way reading is taught across Georgia.
We’ll break down what the three cueing method is, why it’s being banned, and how phonics-based instruction is making a strong comeback.
Join us as we explore how SB 93 reshapes teacher preparation programs, phases out outdated interventions like Reading Recovery, and introduces $10 million in funding for new literacy coaches.
Find out what this means for our students, our teachers, and the future of education in Georgia.
Class is in session—let’s get into it!
We’ll break down what the three cueing method is, why it’s being banned, and how phonics-based instruction is making a strong comeback.
Join us as we explore how SB 93 reshapes teacher preparation programs, phases out outdated interventions like Reading Recovery, and introduces $10 million in funding for new literacy coaches.
Find out what this means for our students, our teachers, and the future of education in Georgia.
Class is in session—let’s get into it!
Mark as Played
Transcript
Episode Transcript
Available transcripts are automatically generated. Complete accuracy is not guaranteed.
Speaker 1 (00:00):
Stay locked in way news meets the heartbeat of the streets.
It's pulsing politics with Alana Sanders posting politics.
Speaker 2 (00:13):
Turn it up.
Speaker 1 (00:14):
Loud voices that matter, speaking truth right now, from the
city to the world. Got the facts so clear. Alina
Sanders keeps it real in here, breaking news, get the scoop,
state folke, stay tuned politics, s and coach every side, review,
no spin, just facts in the booth so sharp. Alina
Sanders bringing knowledge where the mic and a spark, posting politics,
(00:36):
turn it up. Loud voices that matter, speaking truth right now,
from the city to the world. Got the fact so clear.
Elina Sanders keeps it real in here. That's the post,
that's the truth.
Speaker 2 (00:49):
Only on pulsing politics and politics. Will we break down
the policies that shape our communities. I put the power
back in the has of the people. I'm your host,
Elana Sanders. And today we're talking about education, literacy and
(01:09):
the bill that could finally move the needle for Georgia
students and teachers. Class is in session. It's officially in session.
Let's talk about Senate Bill ninety three, a bipartisan piece
(01:30):
of legislation that could transform how reading yes, reading, it's
taught in our state. And let me tell you. Let
me tell you, I take this one a little personal,
and as someone who worked in education and seeing the
(01:51):
effects of poor reading instruction firsthand, I know how much
this matter. As a teacher in higher education, I have
seen freshman students come in and read out loud, or
attempt to read and cannot pronounce the words because of
the site word technique. And it's an embarrassing situation. Let's
(02:15):
talk about the literacy. Okay. So here's the situation. Only
one in three fourth graders in Georgia. That's right, one
in three fourth graders in Georgia reads at a proficient level.
Let that sink in. That means two thirds of our
(02:36):
kids are falling behind at the most critical stage of
their learning. If we don't fix reading early, we're setting
our children and our future workforce up for failure. Centibille
ninety three takes direct aim at the crisis with four
(02:58):
major changes. Let's break that down. Okay, So let's talk
about what Center Bill ninety three actually does. How is
it going to benefit this state our students. So number
one banned on three, queuing ban on three qing So
Center Bill ninety three eliminates the outdated three queuing method.
(03:18):
No more teaching kids to guess words based on pictures
are surrounding texts. The new focus is on finex people
finance based instruction, teaching children to decode words by sound.
In other words, let's teach them how to read for real.
(03:40):
Prohibition of reading recovery. The bill also cuts out reading recovery,
a program many experts say doesn't produce lasting results, and
we are actually teaching this to our children in the
school that does. It's not even research based. Instead, they're
going to invest in more effective research backs strategies. That's
(04:01):
number two. Number three reform of teacher prep programs. Colleges
and universities must must now prepare futures teachers using the
science of reading. That means our educators will leave school
ready to teach reading the right way, something we should
have been doing for a long time. But they utilize
(04:24):
this non research technique to teach our youth, teach our babies.
Funding for literacy coaches. That's number four. Funding for literacy coaches.
And here's the best part. Support that's what teachers school systems.
Public school systems has been asking for a long time
it's support. The state is committing ten million to fund
(04:46):
fifty new literacy coaches across the state. These coaches will
work hand in hand with teachers to bring these methods
to life and classrooms. Now, why it matters to our
kids and teachers, let me tell you, this bill is
about more than instruction. It's about equity support and giving
(05:08):
every child a real shot ecxuscess, not the no child
left behind that I'm pretty sure there was some I
guess they thought that this would help our children, but
it has not. It really has filled our children in
this country. But you know, you have to do certain
things to do the research to try to see if
(05:28):
it actually works, and we know that these programs do
not work. It is also about honoring our teachers with
the training and tools they need. As a former department chair,
a former college department chair, I know that proper prep
makes all the difference. Let me just give you a
little scenario. I had my daughter in public school. Now
(05:52):
let me give the disclaimer here because I know that
people will take certain words and misconstrue them. But let
me break this down. So I put my daughter in
public school for first grade. Before then, she was going
to an alternative school. Not an alternative school. She was
going to a private school, excuse me for that, a
private school where it was on the beck Up program,
(06:14):
and it taught reading at an early age. It taught
writing at an early age. She learned how to write
in script at an early age. So when she entered
into a first grade first grade, she was writing in cursive.
And so because she was writing in cursives and she
read on a higher level than the students in the class,
(06:35):
she was being penalized for learning and knowing more. To
where the teachers were calling me saying, hey, your child
won't stop writing in cursive. Not that she's doing bad
or disrupting a class, she won't stop writing in cursive.
And then they said she started talking because she was bored.
She finished her work early. She knew the material already
(06:58):
because she already did it, she has done it before.
Instead of them placing her in various classes where she
can learn more, they decide to penalize her. So I
took her out of the public school system and I
did homeschool her for some years, all the way until
she went to sixth grade. So I am a proponent
(07:19):
of public school. I am a product of public school.
I am a daughter of public school teachers. My father
and my mother were public school teachers over thirty years.
So of course this conversation has nothing to do with
bashing public school systems. But I do believe in holding
them accountable. I do believe in holding the state and
(07:41):
legislators accountable to make sure that our teachers have what's needed.
I was the one who spoke up and said that
our teachers are underpaid. So how can we expect underpaid
individuals to teach when on their mind they're thinking about survival.
We have to do better. We have to do better.
So I want to thank Senator Shawn Kemp and Representative
(08:03):
Bethany Ballard who actually authored this bill. Both former educators
co authored this bill and their real world classroom experience
shine through. Now that's why we need legislators who are
real life experienced legislators who know what's happening on the ground,
the boots on the ground, they know what's happening to
(08:25):
be able to construct bills that will benefit Georgia, that
will benefit the people, the taxpayers, our youth, our seniors
that are going to be beneficial to them. So we
want to say that this bill not we want to
say the bill did. Let's get a little bit farther
into why we're speaking about Senate Bill ninety through today.
(08:46):
So Senate Bill ninety three passed the House and the
Senate would overwhelmingly bipartisan support. It's now on the Governor's desk.
It's on Governor's Camp's death Now we need Governor Camp
to sign this bill just as quickly as he signed
that Torp bill and many others that he signed on
(09:06):
the same day as Sony died. We need this bill signed.
If signed into law, it could roll out across the states,
and Georgia might just become a national leader and reading reform.
That's what we want now. Listening honest, if you're listening
to me, if you care about our children, if you
(09:29):
care about the future of Georgia, then Senate Bill ninety
three should be on your radar. Share this episode. If
you listen to me live, tell a friend and tell
another friend, talk to your local officials, talk to your legislators,
and better yet, call Governor Kemp and say we needed
to sign that bill that's on your dest Senate Bill
(09:50):
ninety three so we can have better reading scores for
our youth in the state of Georgia. As I say
to earlier one three fourth graders read on a level
of proficiency hmm. Again, share this episode, contact your local officials,
(10:12):
and most importantly, stay inform and stay engaged. I want
to thank you for joining me today. This is posting politics.
Although class may be dismissed. Although class may be dismissed,
the learning never stops. Stay tuned, stay empowered, and I
(10:40):
shall see you on the next pulse and.
Speaker 1 (10:44):
Politics only on politics
Speaker 2 (11:00):
About I never had anything, who did anything.
Stay locked in way news meets the heartbeat of the streets.
It's pulsing politics with Alana Sanders posting politics.
Speaker 2 (00:13):
Turn it up.
Speaker 1 (00:14):
Loud voices that matter, speaking truth right now, from the
city to the world. Got the facts so clear. Alina
Sanders keeps it real in here, breaking news, get the scoop,
state folke, stay tuned politics, s and coach every side, review,
no spin, just facts in the booth so sharp. Alina
Sanders bringing knowledge where the mic and a spark, posting politics,
(00:36):
turn it up. Loud voices that matter, speaking truth right now,
from the city to the world. Got the fact so clear.
Elina Sanders keeps it real in here. That's the post,
that's the truth.
Speaker 2 (00:49):
Only on pulsing politics and politics. Will we break down
the policies that shape our communities. I put the power
back in the has of the people. I'm your host,
Elana Sanders. And today we're talking about education, literacy and
(01:09):
the bill that could finally move the needle for Georgia
students and teachers. Class is in session. It's officially in session.
Let's talk about Senate Bill ninety three, a bipartisan piece
(01:30):
of legislation that could transform how reading yes, reading, it's
taught in our state. And let me tell you. Let
me tell you, I take this one a little personal,
and as someone who worked in education and seeing the
(01:51):
effects of poor reading instruction firsthand, I know how much
this matter. As a teacher in higher education, I have
seen freshman students come in and read out loud, or
attempt to read and cannot pronounce the words because of
the site word technique. And it's an embarrassing situation. Let's
(02:15):
talk about the literacy. Okay. So here's the situation. Only
one in three fourth graders in Georgia. That's right, one
in three fourth graders in Georgia reads at a proficient level.
Let that sink in. That means two thirds of our
(02:36):
kids are falling behind at the most critical stage of
their learning. If we don't fix reading early, we're setting
our children and our future workforce up for failure. Centibille
ninety three takes direct aim at the crisis with four
(02:58):
major changes. Let's break that down. Okay, So let's talk
about what Center Bill ninety three actually does. How is
it going to benefit this state our students. So number
one banned on three, queuing ban on three qing So
Center Bill ninety three eliminates the outdated three queuing method.
(03:18):
No more teaching kids to guess words based on pictures
are surrounding texts. The new focus is on finex people
finance based instruction, teaching children to decode words by sound.
In other words, let's teach them how to read for real.
(03:40):
Prohibition of reading recovery. The bill also cuts out reading recovery,
a program many experts say doesn't produce lasting results, and
we are actually teaching this to our children in the
school that does. It's not even research based. Instead, they're
going to invest in more effective research backs strategies. That's
(04:01):
number two. Number three reform of teacher prep programs. Colleges
and universities must must now prepare futures teachers using the
science of reading. That means our educators will leave school
ready to teach reading the right way, something we should
have been doing for a long time. But they utilize
(04:24):
this non research technique to teach our youth, teach our babies.
Funding for literacy coaches. That's number four. Funding for literacy coaches.
And here's the best part. Support that's what teachers school systems.
Public school systems has been asking for a long time
it's support. The state is committing ten million to fund
(04:46):
fifty new literacy coaches across the state. These coaches will
work hand in hand with teachers to bring these methods
to life and classrooms. Now, why it matters to our
kids and teachers, let me tell you, this bill is
about more than instruction. It's about equity support and giving
(05:08):
every child a real shot ecxuscess, not the no child
left behind that I'm pretty sure there was some I
guess they thought that this would help our children, but
it has not. It really has filled our children in
this country. But you know, you have to do certain
things to do the research to try to see if
(05:28):
it actually works, and we know that these programs do
not work. It is also about honoring our teachers with
the training and tools they need. As a former department chair,
a former college department chair, I know that proper prep
makes all the difference. Let me just give you a
little scenario. I had my daughter in public school. Now
(05:52):
let me give the disclaimer here because I know that
people will take certain words and misconstrue them. But let
me break this down. So I put my daughter in
public school for first grade. Before then, she was going
to an alternative school. Not an alternative school. She was
going to a private school, excuse me for that, a
private school where it was on the beck Up program,
(06:14):
and it taught reading at an early age. It taught
writing at an early age. She learned how to write
in script at an early age. So when she entered
into a first grade first grade, she was writing in cursive.
And so because she was writing in cursives and she
read on a higher level than the students in the class,
(06:35):
she was being penalized for learning and knowing more. To
where the teachers were calling me saying, hey, your child
won't stop writing in cursive. Not that she's doing bad
or disrupting a class, she won't stop writing in cursive.
And then they said she started talking because she was bored.
She finished her work early. She knew the material already
(06:58):
because she already did it, she has done it before.
Instead of them placing her in various classes where she
can learn more, they decide to penalize her. So I
took her out of the public school system and I
did homeschool her for some years, all the way until
she went to sixth grade. So I am a proponent
(07:19):
of public school. I am a product of public school.
I am a daughter of public school teachers. My father
and my mother were public school teachers over thirty years.
So of course this conversation has nothing to do with
bashing public school systems. But I do believe in holding
them accountable. I do believe in holding the state and
(07:41):
legislators accountable to make sure that our teachers have what's needed.
I was the one who spoke up and said that
our teachers are underpaid. So how can we expect underpaid
individuals to teach when on their mind they're thinking about survival.
We have to do better. We have to do better.
So I want to thank Senator Shawn Kemp and Representative
(08:03):
Bethany Ballard who actually authored this bill. Both former educators
co authored this bill and their real world classroom experience
shine through. Now that's why we need legislators who are
real life experienced legislators who know what's happening on the ground,
the boots on the ground, they know what's happening to
(08:25):
be able to construct bills that will benefit Georgia, that
will benefit the people, the taxpayers, our youth, our seniors
that are going to be beneficial to them. So we
want to say that this bill not we want to
say the bill did. Let's get a little bit farther
into why we're speaking about Senate Bill ninety through today.
(08:46):
So Senate Bill ninety three passed the House and the
Senate would overwhelmingly bipartisan support. It's now on the Governor's desk.
It's on Governor's Camp's death Now we need Governor Camp
to sign this bill just as quickly as he signed
that Torp bill and many others that he signed on
(09:06):
the same day as Sony died. We need this bill signed.
If signed into law, it could roll out across the states,
and Georgia might just become a national leader and reading reform.
That's what we want now. Listening honest, if you're listening
to me, if you care about our children, if you
(09:29):
care about the future of Georgia, then Senate Bill ninety
three should be on your radar. Share this episode. If
you listen to me live, tell a friend and tell
another friend, talk to your local officials, talk to your legislators,
and better yet, call Governor Kemp and say we needed
to sign that bill that's on your dest Senate Bill
(09:50):
ninety three so we can have better reading scores for
our youth in the state of Georgia. As I say
to earlier one three fourth graders read on a level
of proficiency hmm. Again, share this episode, contact your local officials,
(10:12):
and most importantly, stay inform and stay engaged. I want
to thank you for joining me today. This is posting politics.
Although class may be dismissed. Although class may be dismissed,
the learning never stops. Stay tuned, stay empowered, and I
(10:40):
shall see you on the next pulse and.
Speaker 1 (10:44):
Politics only on politics
Speaker 2 (11:00):
About I never had anything, who did anything.
Popular Podcasts
My Favorite Murder with Karen Kilgariff and Georgia Hardstark
My Favorite Murder is a true crime comedy podcast hosted by Karen Kilgariff and Georgia Hardstark. Each week, Karen and Georgia share compelling true crimes and hometown stories from friends and listeners. Since MFM launched in January of 2016, Karen and Georgia have shared their lifelong interest in true crime and have covered stories of infamous serial killers like the Night Stalker, mysterious cold cases, captivating cults, incredible survivor stories and important events from history like the Tulsa race massacre of 1921. My Favorite Murder is part of the Exactly Right podcast network that provides a platform for bold, creative voices to bring to life provocative, entertaining and relatable stories for audiences everywhere. The Exactly Right roster of podcasts covers a variety of topics including historic true crime, comedic interviews and news, science, pop culture and more. Podcasts on the network include Buried Bones with Kate Winkler Dawson and Paul Holes, That's Messed Up: An SVU Podcast, This Podcast Will Kill You, Bananas and more.
24/7 News: The Latest
The latest news in 4 minutes updated every hour, every day.
Dateline NBC
Current and classic episodes, featuring compelling true-crime mysteries, powerful documentaries and in-depth investigations. Follow now to get the latest episodes of Dateline NBC completely free, or subscribe to Dateline Premium for ad-free listening and exclusive bonus content: DatelinePremium.com