Few terms have been more breathlessly cited and passionately debated in recent years than the “science of reading.”

In the rush to align with the “science of reading,” the details often get lost and myths are perpetuated. Is it just phonics? Or something else? Is it only about students with dyslexia? What about multilingual learners? Or students of color? How can we trust that this “science” truly benefits all students?

Inside this Knowledge List, we’ve rounded up the resources that we use every day with leaders to help them understand what the science of reading is and its connection to instructional equity. These same readings informed our own evidence-based belief that there is no daylight between the science of reading and instructional equity. If literacy is to be truly liberatory, then students of color and students living in poverty deserve access to reading instruction that’s rooted in research.