A Policy Brief From EPIC

The Effects of Early Literacy Policies on Student Achievement

June 2023

Due to the critical role that early literacy plays in students’ long-term success, 41 states and the District of Columbia have adopted early literacy policies to improve K-3 reading achievement. This brief summarizes selected findings from a working paper which investigates the effects of early literacy policies on high- and low-stakes reading and math assessments and whether these effects depend on the content of states’ policies.